Midnight
by uchiha.s
Summary: Once upon a time, two warriors, Midnight Fan and Floating Blossom, were deeply in love. Tragedy tore them apart, and now a mission with three other warriors brings them together. The only problem is, Midnight Fan doesn't remember her. SasuSaku NejiSaku
1. Chapter 1

Midnight

Author's Note: Oh boy! A new epic! Well, this story is a kung fu story. The names will be confusing at first, but I think it's pretty easy to figure out who's who! :D

Anyways. Enjoy!

Summary: When an important item is stolen from the emperor, the five famed warriors of Konoha are sent to retrieve it. Love, jealousy, vengeance, and madness will stand in their way.

Chapter One

In a faraway land known as Konohagakure, there were once five warriors. These five warriors were known not only throughout Konohagakure, but throughout the entire world as well, for their prowess and skill in kung fu. They were thought to be nearly unbeatable, which was why Emperor Sarutobi called on them to complete the task of the century. The old wizened emperor knew they were the only ones who could possibly help him now.

"We need you, warriors, to retrieve the Jade scroll from the Snake." Sarutobi held out a hand shaking with arthritis as he looked down from his throne on the five warriors kneeling at his feet. They waited for him to elaborate with bated breath, their eyes ever watchful, their muscles tense with awareness. The old emperor was a man worthy of their respect, and a master of kung fu himself. Unfortunately, his time was drawing to a close. He did not fight anymore.

"Ninetailed Fox, there is no one who does not know of your incredible hand to hand combat capabilities. All cower in fear of your very name." He nodded towards a blonde man with close-cropped hair and intense cerulean eyes. He wore an orange yukata, left open over a bare chest and dark blue pants. He did not need to carry weapons, somehow making him even more inimidating. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks were what had given him the moniker of 'Fox.'

"Midnight Fan, your skill with your katana as well as your speed and focus have won you many a battle." He smiled upon a man wrapped completely in black, so that only his eyes were visible. They too were of the deepest black, like midnight itself. On his back, he had strapped a lightweight katana with a black and red handle. The only color on him was a simple red and white fan emblazoned on the back of his shortened yukata.

"Silver Mirror, you can copy any foe's skill during a battle and use it against him tenfold. Because of this, you know the most forms of any kung fu artist in the five countries." A man waved towards emperor Sarutobi loosely. He wore a black mask covering his mouth and nose, and a dark green yukata that had been shortened and tied tightly. He wore an eyepatch, and his silver hair betrayed the air of youth he seemed to radiate.

"Poison Ink, you are known for your killer instinct and the signature in ink you leave at every victory. What you specialize in is not clear, but I have never heard of a single loss on your part." A man with eyes so placid and dark they looked like a calm lake at night smiled at the emperor. His clothing was black and hacked off in random places, and he apparently had no intention of fixing it. He carried simple daggers in holsters as well as senbon, and otherwise carried nothing.

Now, the emperor turned his gaze to a woman with short wavy pink hair. She wore elaborate earrings and hairpins and bracelets, and a devastatingly beautiful red kimono with gold designs embroidered all over it. The kimono had been shortened, and she wore emerald green pants, wrapped up to the knee, that matched her emerald green eyes. She was not classically beautiful, but her eyes were captivating and shone with intelligence. "Floating Blossom, you have held many a man entranced in your emerald eyes. Your beauty is dangerous, and you use it to your advantage. I could not assemble a team to help me without you in it. You are perhaps the most dangerous of all." He said gravely. Floating Blossom's red lips curved into a sly grin.

Emperor Sarutobi stood, slowly, his bones creaking. His headress made noise with the movement, beads clinking together. In between the warriors and the stairs leading to the throne was a wooden box, shallow in dimension, and filled about halfway with sand. Sarutobi held a mahogany cane, and drew in the sand with it. The five warriors watched, wondering exactly what he planned to do.

"This is a map of the five countries. Our enemy, the Snake, has stolen the Jade scroll from us. This scroll contains a secret that he must never find out. Do you understand?"

The five warriors nodded silently. Sarutobi continued. "The Snake is rumored to have just left Mist. I know you can do it. The key to your success will be in your teamwork. Your reward..." He paused, looking at each of them. "...will be the Eternal Happiness scroll." He turned, gesturing to the wall behind his throne. Clutched in the mouth of a gold statue of a dragon was a scroll. Rubies took the place of the dragon's eyes and the statue was so terrifying to look at that none had dared to steal the scroll in over a thousand years. The scroll contained the most dire secrets to the art of kung fu. All warriors gasped. "You will each get to read the scroll, do not worry." He said, smiling kindly at them.

He wiped away the map, and drew again in the sand. A picture of a man, gaunt in the face and evil in the eyes, came into focus. "This is the Snake. As for his accomplice..." Sarutobi drew a blank face next to the face of the snake. "...his appearance is unknown. The only clue I have found is that he is one who is always looking through windows."

Confusion was etched upon each warrior's face, but none voiced their concern. Sarutobi wiped the drawings away, and turned back to his throne. "Now, warriors... there is not much time left..." he coughed. "Hurry!"

--

"Lord Orochimaru!" A pale faced man ran into the underground throneroom, coughing and gasping. A man with long, thick black hair pulled into a loose braid looked up at the messenger, who now knelt on the dirt floor. An arrow pierced his side and when he coughed, blood splattered across the ground, seeping in dark stains into the dirt. The man with the long hair wrinkled his nose in distaste at the man. "Emperor Sarutobi...he's sent the Five Warriors after the Jade scroll!" He cried hysterically, as he dropped completely to the ground. Anger darkened Orochimaru's face and he held out his hand, grinning evilly as the man writhed on the ground, foaming at the mouth, before dying.

"That was a bit harsh, wasn't it, my Lord? Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'don't kill the messenger?" A soft voice from the side of the throne came from the shadows. Orochimaru scoffed.

"He was going to die anyway. Now..." He turned in the direction of the soft voice. "About the Five Warriors..."

"You want me to take care of them, don't you? Consider it done." Said the soft voice. "I'll set out now."

"I trust you very much, my dear friend." Orochimaru said, tapping his fingers together and leaning back in his throne. He picked up a thin, delicate scroll, encased in opalescent glass and jade caps. It had been sitting in his lap, and now that he held it up, it seemed to catch even the most meager rays of light, here in the dark throneroom. In fact, it nearly glowed. He held it up, spinning it around and gazing in awe. He had not yet figured out the secret to opening the scroll, but he was confident that meditation would help him there. "Pick them off one by one...start with Midnight Fan. You'll remember him, I'm sure."

"Midnight Fan? How could I possibly forget?" The other voice laughed softly. "This will be an interesting reunion. I wonder...will he remember me?"

--

Into the dawn, five figures moved swiftly down the mountain, back towards the city of the Leaf. It was just before the city would awaken, and begin moving. All were still asleep.

"We'll convene on the hill outside of the east gate!" Silver Mirror said, just loud enough for the other four to hear. All agreed, and without further speech, jumped from rooftop to rooftop, their feet barely touching the ceramic tiling.

On the hill, they stood in a circle, facing each other. Ninetailed Fox was the first to speak.

"So, how is the best way to do this?" His voice was friendly and a little too loud. Floating Blossom shot him a glare.

"The last time you and I worked together, we screwed up the plan and had to have Poison Ink's help, remember? Why don't you let someone a little more intellectually capable decide things this time!" She hissed. Ninetailed Fox frowned, looking hurt.

"Aw, come on, Blossom!" He whined. Floating Blossom rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking away from Ninetailed Fox.

Silver Mirror cleared his throat.

"I have only every worked with Midnight Fan before, but I trust you all to be skilled fighters. The emperor told us to work together, so we should do it."

Midnight Fan looked around at the fighters. When his eyes met with Blossom's, he felt a sharp pain in between his eyes, but he didn't acknowledge it. There was something familiar about the woman, but he couldn't be sure. She was looking at him with a guarded expression, and he wondered if they had done battle before.

"Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it." Midnight Fan said, his voice muffled through the cloth. He adjusted his katana's strap, and averted his eyes. Poison Ink smiled, stepping forward and bowing politely to all.

"I personally disagree with Silver Mirror, unfortunately. I have only ever worked alone, and I have only ever been successful. We should work as we do best, and keep loose contact." He said, smiling despite his disagreement.

The five looked between each other.

"I'm not working with Blossom, then! Nyah!" Ninetailed stuck his tongue out at the pink haired woman, who shook her fist at him and grumbled obscenities.

"I'm not working with Fox or you, pervert..." She grumbled, turning to the silver haired man. He rolled his eyes.

"We'll compromise. We can work in teams, and Poison can work alone. I'll work with Fox, since our styles are opposing, and Fan and Blossom can work together. Blossom excels in information-gathering, and Fan is skilled in direct combat. Poison, I do not know how you fight, but I trust that you will do fine if the stories that precede you are true. If you need help, you can join any of us at any time."

Floating Blossom glanced at Midnight Fan, anxiously twisting her hands.

"Do I have to work with M--"

"It makes the most sense, since it's better to work with someone of an opposing style." Mirror interrupted her. "We should try to work together as much as possible. Fan said he'd be willing to do anything, and you won't work with me or Fox. Don't complain so much." He ordered. Blossom faltered, and glanced at Midnight Fan, who met her eyes. They broke the eye contact hastily.

"We'll keep contact through messenger birds." Poison Ink said. "It's easy and convenient."

Everyone agreed, and after a few words of encouragement from Fox, they all dispersed.

--

"Mirror...I hate to be rude--"

"No you don't." Mirror shot back as the two men ran through the treetops like the wind. The sun had officially risen and painted all surfaces with fiery hues.

"--Fuck you! Anyway...Just out of curiosity... do you actually know anything about Blossom? I guess if you did, you wouldn't have put her and Fan together." He asked, scratching his head anxiously.

Mirror glanced at Fox as they paused at a stream to drink for a minute. Fox jumped into the water and came out almost automatically, shaking off the water quickly. Mirror raised his eyebrow.

"No. None of us actually know anything about each other. It's the way things go." He said suspiciously. Fox grimaced, stretching.

"Not true. You suck at information gathering, you know that? Anyway...Midnight Fan...you know about his amnesia right?"

Mirror eyed Fox and they began moving again. The breeze dried Fox's clothes quickly.

"Who doesn't know about it? He had an accident two years ago and lost all of his memories. That's why he's so good at what he does—he has no personal ties...to anything. I don't see how this relates to Blossom though."

Fox stopped, and stared into the distance sadly. "Mirror...she was his wife."

--

Poised on a branch, Poison Ink, known by his familiars as Sai, held a senbon out, brandishing his weapon as he observed the scene below him. Sai was, in his most neutralized state, an indulger in voyeurism, and these kinds of missions were his favorite.

It had been two days since the five warriors had been called together. Sai was relieved to be working alone, mainly because he was terrible at interacting with others. He had spent his life alone and now, at age twenty five, he found it difficult to live his life any other way.

He'd picked up a trail about five hours ago. A woman had mentioned the Jade scroll—people were beginning to hear that it had been stolen—and now Sai was hot on her heels, looking at her various connections. He didn't know what the Jade scroll contained, and he didn't much care, which made everything much easier. The fewer details he knew, the better. He could concentrate that way on the important things, instead of worrying.

"Have you heard? He sent the Five Warriors after the scroll!" The woman was bustling about her kitchen garden, with what was most likely her two teenaged children helping her out a bit.

"I heard they are all part-demon!" The girl whispered loudly as she carried a bundle of herbs to the side. Sai raised his eyebrows at this. No, he had no demon blood—only the determination to train to be the best. Hearing the stories about himself was always amusing. No one realized that the five warriors were merely humans with a lot of drive and no more natural ability than anyone else.

It seemed, now that he'd been observing the woman for several hours, that she was just another peasant. He leapt away, to another tree, and began moving back towards the city wall. He found a spot that hid him from other's eyes but allowed him full view of the city market and its going ons.

He allowed his thoughts to wander for a few minutes. He deserved a break; he hadn't slept since before he'd been called to the palace. His mind rested on the vision of Floating Blossom. He'd heard of her, of course, but had never met her personally. She was fascinating. It was always surprising to meet a woman who was a kung fu master. Just thinking about what she was like to fight piqued his curiosity. Hopefully, one day he'd find out.

He went back to scanning the crowd for interesting figures. He had no clues as to Snake's whereabouts or who was helping him these days, but the best place to be looking would be in the big city in Mist.

--

Midnight Fan opened his eyes, and lay still as he tried to sense any imminent danger. When he found none, he sat up slowly, looking at his surroundings.

The woman known as Floating Blossom was still asleep on the ground next to him, and seeing her curled up, her hair undone and in her face, made his mind itch, almost. Something about it seemed so familiar, but he couldn't remember. Something about her in general was familiar, and the way she always stared at him when she thought he didn't know was really beginning to bother him.

They'd been working together for about two days now. Their strategy was to mill around different villages, picking up what they could, and watching over various criminal hideouts, to see if any were in cahoots with the Snake. The stories about Blossom had been true—she really was excellent at gathering information, though he hated to admit it. This was the only way he could reconcile continuing to work with her. Otherwise, she was irritating and randomly called him by the name of 'Sasuke' a few times. When asked, she'd blushed wildly and mumbled something about him reminding her of someone she had once known.

He clutched his head in his hands, trying to relieve the headache he always seemed to have. Two years ago, he'd woken up in a medicine woman's hut, bandaged and confused, with nothing to give him clues to his former life except a beautiful katana and a yukata with the symbol of a fan emblazoned on its back. The medicine woman had told him that he was a great warrior who had been felled in a battle, and just barely survived. She had found him, lying in a house that had been mostly burned down, covered in cuts and gashes, whispering a woman's name-- "Sakura." These were the only things he knew about himself. He didn't even know his own name. Since then, so many questions had plagued his mind, but he had listened to what the woman had said, and found it to be true—he was a great warrior. His muscles recalled the movements of kung fu, and he chose to ignore his shadowy past and forge a new life—as the greatest warrior that the world had ever seen.

Because of his injury, his head ached constantly. He never saw relief, except in sleep—but then, he was hit with a barrage of nightmares; horrible fragments of his life before the accident, though he could never piece these together enough to come to any understanding. For some reason, being near Floating Blossom intensified his headache and the nightmares.

He turned at the sound of her turning over. They were staying in a cave in the forest, having spent the entire day before tracking a group of bandits that inhabited the forest. It had proved fruitless, unfortunately, and now, Fan wasn't quite sure of what the next move would be.

"You're awake." He stated when her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him, and chills ran directly up his spine. Those eyes...he saw that exact shade of emerald in his dreams.

"Yes. I guess I am." She said sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"What is our plan for today?" He demanded. She glanced at him, and stood up, gathering her various hairpins. It wasn't until a skirmish yesterday that he'd found out that the jewelry she wore had little to do with looking nice—the earrings contained deadly poison in their beads, and the hairpins were really needles in sheaths so that she wouldn't cut herself by accident. He was impressed by her craftiness, to be honest. He watched as she did her hair up in twists that were surprisingly elaborate, considering how short her hair was.

"We don't have much time. We have to step it up if we want to get the scroll back into benevolent hands in time." She said, straightening the beautiful kimono she wore. Fan nodded and stood also, re-wrapping his forearms and calves in black strips of fabric. "Oh! Looks like you've got a cut." She said, pointing to his left forearm. "Let me clean it for you." She offered, already stepping towards him. Fan shrugged; he couldn't see the harm in letting her help him. He was bad at cleaning his wounds anyway.

She knelt next to him and slipped a vial out of a pouch at her waist. "This is just antiseptic, don't worry." She said soothingly. But when she touched his skin, electricity seemed to crackle in the air. He yanked his arm back and she drew in a breath sharply.

"Maybe you shouldn't." He said, and they both stood abruptly, and continued going about their morning routines.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm enjoying writing this story a lot. I'm already working on chapter three! Please keep the reviews coming; they're really helpful.

Chapter Two

Legend holds that outside of Mist, in the bamboo forest that stretches indefinitely, there are are hot springs, at the base of the mountain. Surrounding each spring are statues of warriors and gurus past, and each statue is said to house the spirit of the person himself. Legend also contends that if a question is asked of any of these statues, the question will be answered. It was for this reason that Silver Mirror and Ninetailed Fox dared to travel into the forest.

"This is fucking insane." Mirror, known as Kakashi by close friends, commented as he and Fox, known similarly as Naruto, stood at the forest edge. The sound of the silvery bamboo leaves rustling in the wind seemed to be a bottomless, infinite sound. Under any other circumstances, the sound would have been relaxing, but all Naruto and Kakashi could think about was the fact that for the next several days, it would be one of the only sounds they would hear.

"Well, we should dive right in, I guess. No time to waste!" Naruto said anxiously. They slipped into the bamboo, and suddenly the rustling sound was deafening.

They leapt from bamboo pole to bamboo pole, balancing precariously on the thinnest branches. Anything could be hidden in the bamboo, so it made more sense to travel up off the ground. It was also easier to see the sky and sun that way, giving them more direction.

Everything looked the same, and it occurred to both men that they could very easily travel in circles...for the rest of their lives.

--

"I wonder how the others are faring." Blossom commented as she and Fan slipped through the streets of Mist. They were looking for an unassuming inn to use as a base of sorts. Mist was a busy city; not quite as bustling as Leaf but comparable at least. It was easy to slip by unnoticed. Fan had been wondering if Blossom's hair color was the best idea for slipping under the radar, but now that they were wandering the city on foot, he could see that many people had colored their hair. They passed countless peddlers and vendors offering special dyes in the wildest of colors. Apparently it was quite fashionable. Fan couldn't help but notice the way that Blossom looked more the part of an empress than a warrior, with her jewels and silk and bright eyes and hair. No one would suspect that this was the infamous Floating Blossom. Many men's eyes roved up and down her form appraisingly, and to Fan's horror, he realized that this incited anger within him.

"Hn." He shrugged and placed his hand on the small of her back possessively, leading her away from a gang of rough-looking men. If she needed to, she could have pulverized each of them in her sleep, but it was better to avoid trouble.

There was also the small fact that Fan wanted an excuse to touch her.

It was frustrating to no end. Since she had touched him, his memories and nightmares had intensified exponentially, as did his attraction to her. Strange how familiar it felt to lightly touch her back like this...it was also strange how she barely seemed to realize it, as though the action felt familiar to her as well. When she did, she moved away, flushing hotly and looking guarded again. Fan hastily drew his hand back inside his cloak.

"Sorry." He muttered. Blossom's emerald gaze slid to him as they walked, but she said nothing, making him feel even worse for doing it. He was truly a fool.

By nightfall, they had found a place to stay. In the outskirts of the city, towards one of the corners, sat a simple complex of buildings, designated for traveling monks mostly. Blossom had looked like royalty, and Fan knew a man there whom he had trained with recently, so they were let in without much difficulty. They stayed in a small building at the very corner, with the ceramic roof tiles broken, letting in the rain that had begun to fall. It smelled foul in the tiny room, and the bedrolls were stained. But it was far preferable to staying in a cave again, and at least there was a small metal tub to bathe in, using water from the pump in the center of the courtyard.

Blossom lit a few candles and placed them on the floor near their bedrolls.

"We haven't gotten any messages from either Poison or Mirror and Fox." She whispered. Their eyes met, and once again, the air itself seemed to spark. Fan looked away, rubbing his temples as he attempted to think of something other than how normal it felt to see her in this lighting. His mind was playing tricks on him again.

"The messenger birds may have gotten intercepted." He said, staring at the wall in front of him. There were cracks in it and a spider slowly climbed up towards the window.

"Snake must know that we're onto him. We need to hurry."

"You keep saying that. I don't see how we can hurry. We've barely slept at all... if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. What we need is a different method." Fan snapped. He flinched at the way Blossom looked injured by his tone, but neither commented on it.

"Perhaps the sacred springs in the bamboo?" Blossom suggested, tilting her head slightly in the direction of where the famed forest lay beyond the walls. She grimaced. "I don't like the idea of traveling in there, but it might be our best shot."

Fan turned to face Blossom and crossed his legs. He picked up one of the candles that wouldn't light, and drew lines on the wooden floor with the white wax. He drew a map of the world as they knew it. It was similar to Sarutobi's map; perhaps more detailed and proportional.

"Snake could be anywhere in any of these countries...we can't comb the world over. It's too much even for us Five." Blossom added. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on the tops of her knees, looking down at Fan's map studiously. She sighed. "I just... I can't figure out what the clue meant. You know, about the windows. Plenty of people watch through windows. That doesn't help us."

Fan shrugged.

"Sarutobi's an old man. It would be no great surprise if his memory weren't what it used to be."

Blossom sighed again.

"True. Sometimes I feel like perhaps...the Jade scroll doesn't even exist."

Fan looked up suddenly. They held the stare, breaths drawn in sharply.

"You mean he would be testing us." He said, although it came out as a whisper. Shivers continually ran up and down his spine, because of the way she was looking at him. Emotion swirled in her green eyes, and Fan wondered if this was one of her tricks to get men to tell her secrets. It were as though they had known each other their whole lives, the way she gazed at him. It weighed on him so heavily that he was beginning to have difficulty breathing. She moved him with nothing more than a look.

He dropped the candle. It rolled across the floor, forgotten, as they continued to stare. What was it about her that made his fingers ache with the desire to touch her? Even a light brush across her shoulder would be enough, just for a bit, he told himself.

They held very still, until Blossom moved. She shifted her legs down and leaned out, reaching out with her pale, delicate hands. Fan swallowed, staring into her eyes as he felt her knuckles brushing against his cheek. He looked down, watching her fingers linger at his jaw and travel up into his hair, closing her grip over the locks of hair and pulling slightly, forcing his head to turn the tiniest bit. She had moved off of her own bedroll and now knelt on the map he had drawn between them on the floor. The only sound was the creaking of the wooden floor and the dripping water coming in through the holes in the roof. Anticipation welled inside of Fan. What was she going to do? The way her skin felt against his was like an old melody that he knew well but hadn't heard in a long time. He could predict where her hand slid, so that even before it slipped inside his collar and onto the back of his neck, he had known it would go there, just as one would know the refrain of a song. Her fingers pressed against the bumps of his spine, lovingly. It occurred to him how it should have felt so strange and odd, to have her touching him so intimately when they should have been strangers. Yet it was the same experience as when he began relearning the movements of kung fu. He had studied the scrolls and then attempted the motions...and then his body had been able to move with startling precision. Muscle memory. This felt the same way. He knew that if she continued, her other hand would slip into his hair. And then his hands would move to her sides, gently tugging her closer, until their lips met. Why did he know? It was ridiculous, and yet somehow, he could see it so clearly. If only she would move a tiny bit closer...

And then, abruptly, she pulled away. It felt as though someone had blown out all of the candles in a once very bright room, and now fumbled in the darkness, although the lighting itself hadn't changed. Blossom was very pale and now wouldn't look at him again.

"I'm sorry, Sas—Fan. Fan." She corrected herself, biting her tongue. Fan wrinkled his brow, his headache returning with a vengeance. "I don't know what comes over me sometimes. Anyway, about these plans..." She was flustered and was running her hands through her hair and fixing her plain brown yukata unnecessarily. Fan massaged his temples as the pain spiked.

"Tomorrow. We'll go to the spring hidden in the bamboo tomorrow." He said sharply, and lay down on his bedroll, turning away from her. He could already see that he would not sleep peacefully tonight. He stared at the wall, watching as her silhouette blew out the candles with a shaky expulsion of breath. He scrunched his eyes shut tightly, the migraine worsening. Images flashed through his mind; he could see colors, so many colors...vivid red, like blood...shiny, pooling on a floor...emerald, though he couldn't associate an image with that. So much red... then dark blue, then the silver of a sword...then black.

Hours later, he lay awake, although very still, trying to win against the pain. It was then that she spoke, although he knew she thought he was fast asleep.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

--

Sai flowed from rooftop to rooftop. He had gotten wind of a man wrapped in black, traveling with a pink haired woman, and had followed the rumors to this place. It was a run down compound for traveling priests and monks, with the occasional warrior. Dingy buildings surrounded a courtyard, flooded from the rains, with a pathetic water pump in the center. Chimes hung from the eaves on the porches, and the porches themselves sagged, the water within the wood too much for it to hold. Streams of water poured out of the gutters, splashing into the courtyard and running off underneath the buildings.

He'd considered sending a messenger bird to them, letting them know he was fine, but then he'd heard they were here. No one, of course, recognized them as warriors. People only spoke of the intimidating and unusual beauty of the woman, and the air of mystery cloaking the man more thoroughly than his heavy black clothes. Sai had known instantly who they spoke of.

He found the smallest building in the complex, and slid down the roof. Roof tiles broke off at the contact and skittered down and off the roof, hitting the mud with a sloppy splattering sound. Luckily it was raining so hard that the sound was masked. Sai crept over to the gutter, and leaned over slightly. He was just able to see in one of the windows.

It was dark inside. Blossom lay curled on a bedroll, facing Fan's bedroll. He faced away from her, towards the wall. Neither was asleep. Blossom's arm lay across the floor, reaching towards Fan's back tenderly, but not touching.

The plan had been to go inside and meet with them, but somehow he found that he couldn't go in. He was watching a very private moment, he could see. Something had passed between them.

His breath caught in his throat as Blossom stood, and walked out onto the porch in her lightweight sleeping robe. It was an unflattering brown, and her hair lacked its usual ornamentation. The robe was tied loosely, revealing expanses of pale skin. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.

She stood on the porch for only a few seconds before he saw her eyes darting around. She knew he was here.

"Relax." He called from the roof. She looked up and met his eyes, staring at the way he hung down over the gutter. He dropped down onto the ground, and leapt up onto the porch. He was soaked and covered in mud, and most likely looked ridiculous.

"You are as unsuccessful as I have been, I take it." He remarked, stepping further under the shelter of the eaves. Blossom sighed.

"We have decided to go to the springs tomorrow morning." She whispered. Sai nodded.

"The other two have made the same decision." He replied. "I watched them leave the south gate and head for the forest this morning." He shook his head slightly, spraying water around him. Rivulets were running down his face. She bit her lip.

"What do you think will happen when Snake figures out how to open the scroll?"

Sai exhaled and looked out into the courtyard.

"I do not know what secrets the scroll contains. I'm surprised he did not steal the one Sarutobi is promising us."

Blossom nodded.

"It is strange. What could possibly be inside the scroll?" She asked in disbelief.

"I do not care, personally." Sai said, smiling at Blossom. She raised her eyebrows, and then smiled as well.

"I have never seen your art." She commented, continuing to smile slightly. Sai wanted to trace the lines of that smile.

"Someday, perhaps you will." He replied.

With a jolt he realized that his thoughts were being polluted with desire. The yukata clung to her frame and she looked so sad. He wanted to touch her. "I must go." He said abruptly. "I hope you meet up with the others. I'll be here, most likely."

He disappeared into the rain.

--

"Where are we...?" Naruto groaned.

The two men had lost the energy to travel up among the tops of the bamboo, and had retreated to the ground, which turned out to be swampy and difficult to walk through. They were soaked with swamp water and muck. Night had fallen but they wanted to at least find a dry spot to sleep for a bit.

"Literally a needle in a haystack..." Kakashi muttered, wringing out the hem of his yukata. "The springs probably don't even exist. What the fuck were we thinking?!" He yelled. Naruto also wrung out his yukata.

"God knows. I can't take much more of this."

"I'll bet the other three are nice and comfortable and dry." Kakashi said indignantly. Naruto chuckled.

"Because they're not adventurous like we are."

The two stopped, looking up at the night sky. Naruto sighed. "Poor Sakura. She's probably losing it now, working with Fan..." He frowned. "But...maybe she can help him remember."

"Heh, yeah, sure. That'll work. Seeing his old fuckbuddy cures him of his amnesia? Good one, Naruto." Kakashi said sarcastically. Naruto scoffed.

"You're a perverted asshole."

"Oh yeah?" Kakashi challenged, picking his way closer. "Well, perverted asshole or not, we need to figure out what the fuck we're going to do now."


	3. Chapter 3

Midnight

Chapter Three

A/N: ANOTHER update?! This is madness! It's odd—this story isn't successful or popular at all, and yet I haven't lost interest in it! ...yet. Still, please do review. It's nice to know what people think and it can be really encouraging.

"Oh yeah, they've been the talk of the city! The chick sure was hot..." A large balding man scratched his stomach and narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to remember details. Kabuto waited, attempting to be patient.

"Do you know where they're staying?" He interrupted the man's incoherent ramblings. The man shrugged, and unfortunately, he had to bear the brunt of Kabuto's temper. A minute later, he was lying in the alleyway, his throat slit and his blood pooling in the mud.

No leads had been found yet. Kabuto had assumed that the five would attract attention wherever they went, but it seemed that they had only left behind a tantalizing trail of rumors—not even enough for Kabuto to just piece together.

It was dark and raining, and he was furious. He sat on a roof, contemplating going into a bar to get a drink to calm his nerves. There was one on the ground below him, and it seemed fairly out of the way.

And then something caught his eye. A flash of black, and a young man was entering the bar. Kabuto stared and smiled. Well, it wasn't Midnight Fan, but really, he could use this one to get to Fan. He smirked wider and dropped down. Just when he had needed a lead, the gods had dropped one right in front of him.

--

Sai flew through the streets, not caring who saw him or where he stepped. His thoughts were as muddled as the flooded dirt streets of the city now, and just moving seemed to help him.

He had never wanted a woman so badly before, and certainly, desire had never sneaked up so easily on him before. He knew desire and love to be things that took time; things that developed over the course of a series of important events. His feelings for Floating Blossom had exploded, right there on the porch, and it was suffocating him.

He went to the first bar he could find—an underground dive that was hidden in an alleyway. Smoke filled the room and the din was just loud enough to the point where it hurt. Sai ordered sake, and downed the first glass. He wasn't one for drinking but he needed something to numb himself.

Those eyes. He stared into nothing, contemplating the intense green of those eyes. They were like looking through sea glass at something sad, like a funeral or some other such experience. It made him want to paint or draw, so much that his hands ached, but he didn't know what he would draw. There was nothing he could create to communicate what he had experienced when he looked into the emerald depths. Nothing.

Across the bar, a woman with badly dyed purple hair was nursing a glass of sake. Sai trained his eyes on her. She was like an off-color representation of Blossom; a poor effigy constructed by someone who had only had her likeness described to them. When the woman looked up, their eyes met, and she winked. It was a practiced motion, and the staleness of it was like copper on his tongue.

He watched as she slid out of her chair and sidled over to him, the sake sloshing over the sides of the glass. She giggled and leaned up against the bar next to him.

"Hey, handsome." She said smoothly. She began flirting with him shamelessly, and Sai listened, nodding or smiling awkwardly. Somehow, more sake was ordered, and then, two hours later, he was completely bombed, and was pouring out his troubles to the woman.

"Sh-she's just so... sad! She and the asshole are going to the bamboo tomorrow..." He slurred on, drawing circles on the surface of the bar with the condensation from the sake glass. The woman raised her eyebrows. She was incredibly bored by Sai's rambling, and had hoped for a different sort of evening, but any time she tried to excuse herself, he started again.

"Miss...I can take over for you." A man with glasses and silvery blonde hair tapped her on the shoulder, smiling. "He's an old friend of mine, really."

The woman thanked him and sped off, leaving Sai to continue talking to no one.

"You're Poison, right?" Kabuto asked as he took the woman's place at the bar. Sai turned to look at him.

"Who gives a shit? Not even being a goddamn warrior gets you what you want." He said hollowly. He was usually a polite, guarded person, but when he got drunk, he let out all of his feelings in the open, which tended to freak out people who had met him. But no one knew him here, so he wasn't going to hold back. "Blossom...she wants to win Fan back..." He muttered. "I can see it. But you know what? Fan can't see what a good thing he's got. Fucking moron..."

Kabuto straightened. "Fan? You mean, Midnight Fan?"

Sai nodded. "Who else would choose a ridiculous name like Fan? Why the fuck does she even still like the moron? He doesn't remember her. She should get over it...and pick me."

Kabuto leaned forward.

"She doesn't know of your feelings?"

"I hope not."

Kabuto nodded thoughtfully.

"Why don't you take me to her? I can talk to her about what she's missing out on." He coaxed, helping Sai throw back another sake. Sai's eyes were beginning to cross because he was so drunk.

Sai muttered something incoherent and his head lolled to the side and he began to fall off the stool. Kabuto panicked and grabbed Sai, holding him up.

"Come on, help me find her." He said a bit more forcefully.

He carried the warrior up the stairs and back out into the open, where it was pouring. On the side of the street, Sai vomited, and Kabuto wondered at how really, anyone could kill the warrior, kung fu master or not, at this very moment. He had been reduced to nothing more than a blubbering mess.

"Compound..." He slurred, wiping the vomit from his mouth and clutching Kabuto for support. Kabuto wrinkled his nose at the stench. "Monks...they're there...tell her..." And then he dropped to the ground, passing out completely.

--

After Poison Ink had left, Blossom stared into the pouring rain, wrapping her arms around herself. The way Poison Ink looked at her made her shiver. He looked straight into her eyes, without looking for anything...he just let himself sink into them, feeling her pain but not reacting to it. He was so fascinated by her feelings it seemed, and she now realized that he had his own motivations.

He was in love with her.

Maybe it was time for her to give up her feelings for Sasuke. The very idea of it was alien to her, because her feelings for Sasuke—and not her feelings for Midnight Fan, for though they occupied the same body, in reality they were very different sides of his personality—had motivated her to become who she was today. The name Floating Blossom had been conjured out of the woman she became trying to impress Sasuke with her fighting skills, as she tried to show him that he needed her in his life.

Her teacher, Tsunade, had told Sakura—before she became Floating Blossom—that while she did not seem like much, Tsunade knew from the moment she met Sakura that she had the potential to be the greatest fighter of all time. She just needed the right motivation.

Tsunade had also told her, just before Sakura left to chase after Sasuke, that her feelings for the man would chain her to the ground and hold her back. Men were allowed the luxury of falling in love, because regret did not stay with them. Regret and guilt sat in women, anchoring them permanently.

But Sakura proved her wrong. For years, she went all over the world, training with as many different masters as possible, until she became a legend. Before she had left Tsunade's pagoda, she had been an awkward teenager of fifteen, with mediocre fighting skills and horrible taste in clothing. She had no tact and no understanding of social laws. When she met Sasuke, three years later, she was a woman. She had tricked many men into telling her their most dire secrets, which sometimes cost them their country. She had overpowered an even greater number of men in battle. That day, when she met Sasuke, it was because he had sought her out. He had respect for her now. He wanted to marry her.

At their wedding, Tsunade showed up. After the ceremony, at the celebration, Tsunade led Sakura out into the courtyard of the shrine, to 'speak.' They battled, and Sakura won, with ease. Tsunade admitted that Sakura had used the very thing that should have chained her down to lead her to become an incredible kung fu artist. But she said that time had many ways of being measured, and not everything could last forever, having been based on a foundation of three years.

Sakura's heart ached at that memory. Tsunade had been right. An attack on their home had wiped away every single memory of her from Sasuke's mind. He really had no idea who she was now.

But perhaps, Floating Blossom was a different woman than the woman she was now. She was older, sadder, more skilled, and lonely. Floating Blossom had been a woman driven by love and passion... the woman she was now had little drive left to do anything. Maybe...maybe it was time to accept that. She had decided to leave Sasuke alone after the attack, and let him begin a new life, one that would give him a chance to be truly happy and free. Perhaps it was time she did the same for herself.

At that thought, she smiled. Her thoughts were getting too melancholy. Sakura went back into the building, shivering from the cool air. She sat down on her bedroll, sighing.

"Why are you still awake?" Fan asked from his bedroll. Sakura started at the noise, but calmed down quickly. He had always been a light sleeper. At least that hadn't changed.

"Poison Ink came by to update us. Apparently Fox and Mirror are in the bamboo now." She explained. Fan nodded.

A thick blanket of silence fell over them, smothering them. Fan turned over and sat up, facing her.

"You're hiding something from me." He said. The silence was now deafening. Sakura flinched and looked away.

"I am hiding nothing." She said smoothly. Fan's face twisted in anger.

"Tell me. Now." He demanded sharply. "You're so familiar. Who are you?"

She watched as he stood and began pacing. "You keep calling me 'Sasuke,' and I know that it isn't just because I remind you of someone. Poison Ink was there for five minutes. You just stood outside staring into space for an _hour._ Something is going on. You're not telling me something. What is it? Do you think that just because I have amnesia means I'm not smart as well?" He yelled. Sakura stared up at him, and opened her mouth to speak.

But she never got the chance to, because at that moment, screams and shouts were heard from outside.

--

Naruto (as well as Kakashi) had spent the night on a bed made of broken bamboo. The swampiness had gotten to him, and now he felt sick and tired.

"We're gonna die here, you old pervert!" Naruto whined as they trudged through the mud. Kakashi sighed, stopping to wipe the sweat from his face. Naruto continued, "when I first took up kung fu, wandering through bamboo forests wasn't really not what I had in mind."

"Naruto, stop talking." Kakashi ordered. Naruto turned back, sticking out his tongue.

"Screw you! I'm tired, sick, frustrated, exhausted, starving, and I smell like death. So do you, by the way. Anyway, all I'm saying is that if we don't find this spring soon, I'm quitting."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"Right. Have fun trying to find the way back--" He stopped.

"What?"

"Is that... I think I see a clearing up ahead. And I think I see steam." Kakashi hissed. Naruto whipped his head around and gasped.

"Hell yes! Let's go for it!"

The two men hurtled through the swamp and bamboo until they reached it. Pushing aside bamboo, they stared down in shock.

It was enormous. A system of small springs stretched out before them, shaded by the high bamboo. Huge, smooth white rocks surrounded each spring, and steam rose from the water. True to legend, statues sat on the rocks in the middle of each spring. Each was given one statue. They were life-size and very detailed, though time had worn them down. Some of the statues were missing arms or pieces of armor.

"Whoa..." Naruto breathed. "I don't even..."

"We can ask the statues about Snake's whereabouts and how to get out of this forest." Kakashi said, eying the springs. Naruto agreed.

"So...how do we go about this? Just go right up and ask one?"

"It's the best idea we've got so far."

They hopped from rock to rock until they each reached the centers of two separate springs.

Kakashi stared at his statue. There was something especially eerie about the statue, though he couldn't quite place what it was exactly. Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Uh...where is Snake?" He asked in a loud voice.

He waited.

Nothing happened.

He sighed and crossed his arms, glaring at the statue now.

"You there." A woman's voice called. Kakashi's head whipped around, and he saw a woman standing on top of a statue one spring away. She had wild blonde hair done up in pigtails all over her head and carried a large fan. She was tall and voluptuous, and had dark intelligent eyes. Next to her stood a man with a sour expression on his face. He was quite tall as well, and had thick black hair pulled on top of his head into a topknot. Gold earrings caught the light in his ears, and he slouched.

"Desert Flower and Thunder Cloud. It's been a while." Kakashi said, grinning and turning away from the statue. Desert Flower's face darkened when she finally recognized him.

"Ah, it's the old pervert. How did I not recognize you before?" She sneered, jumping off of the statue and skimming over the water towards him on her fan. It was big enough for a person to sit on and it caught the wind nicely. Kakashi imagined it was helpful for traveling over the bamboo forest. Behind her, Thunder Cloud sighed and leapt over the spring, joining her on a rock nearby Kakashi.

"You must be getting rusty." Kakashi said pleasantly. Desert Flower smirked.

"Rusty? Never."

Kakashi heard the sound of cracking knuckles and glanced behind him to see Naruto standing there, grinning and cracking and popping his joints.

"Wanna test that?" He challenged. Desert Flower scoffed.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you. I hear you're on a mission...for the emperor." She said slyly. "Cloud and I keep our ears low." She added in explanation. Kakashi raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Then maybe you could help us out." He suggested.

"You need something from Snake, I've heard." Cloud spoke up. "What a drag. Honestly though, I've heard he's stationary these days, and has his little friend with the glasses do all his dirty work."

"Glasses?" Naruto asked, wrinkling his nose. Flower nodded.

"What a little bitch. I hate that guy. We had to fight him a couple years ago for this stupid sword that he was trying to steal from my brother."

Naruto and Kakashi glanced at each other. Sarutobi's clue about windows made much more sense now.

"Do you know where his friend is now?" Naruto asked. Flower shrugged.

"Cloud and I have been trying to ask a few questions here, but we've got nothing. We spent a year in the mountains training, and then came straight here. We've been out of the loop in terms of anything quite that underground."

"Dammit." Naruto swore. Flower raised her eyebrows.

"That must be why you two are here. Trust me, you're not gonna get a single thing from these damn statues." She groaned. Cloud nodded.

"We've been trying for days. There's nothing you can possibly do." He added.

"Damn, we just wasted like five days." Naruto swore again. Flower sighed.

"That sucks. We can help you guys get out of here, if you want." She offered. Naruto nodded enthusiastically. Desert Flower was tough, but she still had a heart of gold, which was one of the reasons he liked her and Thunder Cloud so much. They were also very skilled fighters.

They agreed, and soon, they were out of the bamboo forest, and heading back towards Mist. Hopefully, they'd be able to meet up with Poison, Fan, and Blossom. Now that they had two more to their team, they would be able to take on Snake, no problem.

--

Uh oh, what's happening at the complex? Scared face! Hope you guys enjoyed this chap..I know it was shorter but I didn't want to start on any action scenes just yet. PLEASE REVIEW!!


	4. Chapter 4

Midnight

A/N: I'm keeping up my updating pace...so weird! How do you guys think this story is going? It's finally picking up and moving towards the climax, which is nice. I know this is rated M and still doesn't have much 'M' rated material in it, but chapter five might change that...might. Anyways. This chapter is action-packed. The fight scene was so much fun to write!

And now for something important that I must address. A few nights ago, I received this review:

"**The first chapter is pretty much a complete rip off the story Crimson Reign by Lady Hanaka  
Check it out its almost word for word in some places.  
I understand that many people cane he same or similar idea and its all a matter of who posts it first (i respect that) but this is plagiarizing in some bits.  
Its really sad to see other people copy n paste others work "**

This saddened me. I have never read or even heard of the story mentioned. Immediately, I read the story, and found that it was very different from mine. Just to be sure, I emailed the author, explaining what had happened. This was the email I received from her:

**I read through your first chapter and you're right, there  
isn't any similarity really. So don't worry. :) And no one has sent me  
anything telling me it was the same either.**

Sincerely, Lady Hanaka 

So you see, even the author agrees. I'm sorry about all of this.

Anyways, here's chapter four. It's shorter than usual but I felt it works out nicely. Enjoy, and please, PLEASE, review!

Chapter Four

Sakura and Fan looked at each other, and then immediately sprang into action. Fan snatched his katana and threw on his face mask, not bothering to put his shirt or shoes on. Sakura clumsily twisted her hairpins into her hair, but didn't bother with her kimono.

"Let's fight." Sakura said quietly. Fan nodded and they slid open the fusuma.

Outside, in the pouring rain, there was utter chaos. Monks and priests were fleeing their rooms, while the other warriors were looking for the person who was causing the pandemonium. Travelers were rifling through the priests' and monks' belongings for expensive things that could be sold.

Fan cracked his knuckles, scanning the area. Finally, his eyes landed on a man he had not seen at the complex before. He had silvery blonde hair, and when their eyes met, the man smiled, and Fan felt frozen. He knew that smile...that evil smile. Suddenly, his head began throbbing again.

"Agh!" He grunted, dropping to his knees, clutching his head.

"Ignore the pain!" Sakura yelled, pulling him back to his feet. Fan groaned in pain, and Sakura gave up, letting him drop back to the ground. She began crossing the courtyard.

"Kabuto...I should have known." Sakura said darkly, whipping one of her hairpins out of her hair. A thick, short lock of pink hair fell to the side of her face, and because of the downpour, quickly became plastered to her cheek. Kabuto stabbed the man who had been fighting him with a senbon needle and tossed him easily to the side.

"Floating Blossom. You're looking significantly without child these days. How's the scar?" Kabuto hissed scathingly. Fan frowned, watching the two circle each other as his pain worsened. Sakura smirked.

"No uglier than you, I suspect." At that moment, she undid the light brown yukata, causing Fan and Kabuto both to gasp in surprise. The yukata hung open, revealing her chest wrappings and short, tight pants. But across her stomach, running from her left ribcage to her right hipbone, was a thick white jagged scar—Fan guessed it was the doing of a blunt sword, quickly and without regard for finesse. Just seeing it caused tears to prick in his eyes and the pain to worsen even more. He grit his teeth and stood, anger and adrenaline fueling him enough to ignore the blinding shocks of pain. He wasn't sure exactly why he was angry, but it was enough.

Sakura brandished her hairpin.

"I've got two years of anger and pain that need unleashing. You'll do nicely." She said coldly.

Kabuto ducked as the poison needle whizzed by his ear, just scathing it. He ignored it and whipped out a few senbon, and began hurling them one by one at Sakura. She slipped a kunai out of a wrapping around her thigh and deflected the senbon with an upturned blade, running at Kabuto as she did so.

Fan jumped in front of her with his katana, deflecting the rest of them with it.

"I can take care of it myself, Sasuke--I mean..." She snapped angrily and then recoiled when she realized what she'd said. But there was no time to deal with it, for Kabuto was running at them with his fists held out. He jumped up and was about to come down on top of them, when Sakura jumped up as well, executing a flawless spinning crescent kick to his face. Kabuto grabbed her foot to stop it and they landed. Kabuto held her foot in one hand and twisted it, forcing her to flip over. But Sakura used the momentum to rise up and over him, flipping him over with her captive leg. She did a handstand and he was sent soaring over to the wall, where he smacked into it, causing bits of the wall to crumble to the ground. Sakura stood up again, wiping the dirt from the ground off of her delicate hands. Fan's jaw dropped.

"Th-that..." He stammered, but Sakura cut him off.

"Start fighting like I know you can!" She scolded. Fan swallowed, nodding and dropping into a fighting stance. Kabuto groaned, dropping off of the wall and crumpling on the ground. He stood on shaky legs, and looked up to see his two enemies facing him. Sakura had her arms crossed in front of her face in a defensive stance, another hairpin in each fist. Her hair was almost completely let down now. Fan stood holding out his katana with two hands and leaning forward.

Kabuto charged at them, and Fan attacked first, slashing at Kabuto with his katana. Blood spurted from the cuts and the rain washed it from the cuts, mixing with it on the ground in the dirt. But Kabuto's cuts were deep, and when Sakura had grazed his ear with her poison needle, it had caused just enough of a hit to enter his bloodstream. They watched as he gripped his stomach and foamed at the mouth. Vomit issued forth from his mouth and he leaned up against the wall, sweating and bleeding.

"The poison will act quickly. In a moment, he will be out of it." Sakura said smoothly, watching with satisfaction as Kabuto suffered. Fan gripped his katana and stared hard at the man in agony. They watched as he dropped to the ground, unconscious.

The rain seemed to pour harder now. Fan turned to Sakura. His eyes traveled downward, and traced her scar. Sakura yanked the yukata shut hastily.

"Blossom...you are..." He hesitated, and looked away. "I would never have imagined that you could defeat Snake's right hand man, Shining Windows, singlehandedly." He said quietly, glancing back to see the look on her face. Sakura smiled, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't do it singlehandedly. You defeated him just as much as I did."

Fan's breath caught in his throat. Their eyes met again, but Sakura pulled her hand away. They turned and stepped back.

"Snake will be wondering what happened to his right hand man. We can use this." Fan said, eying Kabuto's cold body.

Sakura nodded. "But first...we need to get the others."

--

"Fuck...it's raining so damn hard." Naruto cursed. The four had made their way out of the bamboo forest, and Mist was in sight. Desert Flower, known by her familiars as Temari, wrung her hair out with her hands, though it was useless.

Kakashi led the way into the city. Dawn was fast approaching, but it did little to help with visibility. They hopped from roof to roof, looking into houses to try and find any one of the three warriors.

"Whoa, hold on a second!" Thunder Cloud, also known as Shikamaru, stopped the group. He had been in the back and was towards the edge of the city. "Isn't that Poison down there?"

--

Sai lifted his face from the mud, coughing and sputtering. He pulled himself up on his hands and knees, and began vomiting a mixture of mud and alcohol. The heavy rain beat down on him as he tried to recall what had happened.

When he was done vomiting, he rolled over and sat against the wall, pale and weak and trembling. He was in an alleyway, and when he studied it further, he saw that he was on the outskirts of the city, at the very edge. This was the most dangerous area, and Sai was both shocked and thankful that his throat hadn't been slit yet.

His head ached and Sai realized that he was hungover, and still a little bit drunk. The world seemed to spin and nausea clutched his stomach.

Suddenly, he heard his name. Sai looked up slowly, shielding his eyes from the rain.

Looking down from a rooftop were Thunder Cloud, Desert Flower, Ninetailed Fox, and Silver Mirror. Fox waved and dropped down on the ground.

"Damn, guys! Look at him! You okay, Poison?" He knelt down but backed away, wrinkling his nose and fanning his face at the stench of vomit. Sai opened his mouth to speak, but found that he was too weak to do so.

"He got fucked up pretty bad." Shikamaru said, dropping down to the ground as well.

For the first time, Sai realized that he was covered in blood as well. He lifted a shaking hand closer to his face, and saw that his skin was caked in blood and mud. He dropped his hand and coughed.

"What happened to you?" Kakashi asked, stepping closer and ignoring the horrible stench. Sai coughed again.

"Ungh...I don't..." He began, but was coughing too hard to speak.

They finally gave up and took Sai to an inn, where they rinsed some of the filth from his skin and fed him as well. After hours of work, Sai finally regained the strength to speak. He lay on a futon with Kakashi and Naruto sitting by him, waiting for him to speak. Temari and Shikamaru had gone to try and find Blossom and Fan. It was midday already, but it was still pouring and the entire city seemed to be melancholy and sad.

"So... you really don't remember a thing?" Naruto tried again. Sai shook his head.

"Nothing. I visited Blossom and Fan, and then left. After that, I can't remember anything." He said plainly. Kakashi sighed.

"Anything could have happened. You smell like alcohol...you must have gone to a bar and gotten really drunk and then been attacked. This is why you should always work with someone, Poison." He warned. Sai rolled his eyes, but then Temari burst in through the door.

"They left!" She yelled in anger. Behind her, Shikamaru had his arms crossed and was looking irritated and exasperated.

"What do you mean they left?" Naruto demanded. Shikamaru exhaled.

"They defeated Snake's right hand man and, as far as witnesses could tell, took the body and went in the direction of the bamboo. So, obviously, we went after them, but it looks like they're already in the bamboo or else hiding somewhere. And it's pouring too hard to travel overhead with the fan." He grumbled.

"Dammit..." Naruto groaned, standing up and kicking the wall. "Those idiots!" He yelled.

"It looks like our only option...is to wait, for now." Kakashi said, rubbing his temples.

--

"What if they've left the bamboo?" Fan asked. Sakura shrugged, spreading out the bedrolls. They had taken refuge from the intense rain in a cave behind a waterfall. Kabuto lay against the wall, unconscious and bound tightly with rope. A small fire was going in the center of the cave. Both were thankful that they'd taken some food along with them. They feasted on some plums and rice, taking care to not look at each other.

"It's unlikely that they'll find their way out of it too quickly. I'd be stunned if they've even found the springs yet. Our best bet is to wait along the outskirts and try to catch them leaving, I guess. I don't think the messenger birds would dare go into the bamboo." She said, unfolding a blanket. She finished her food and slipped her hairpins out of her hair. She lay down on the bedroll. Fan watched her through the flames.

"When are you going to tell me who you are?" Fan asked, although he wasn't expecting a real answer anymore. If they went into the hot springs, he would ask one of the spirits there. He wanted to know so badly...perhaps it would help the headaches stop.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said. Her voice was muffled from the blanket. Fan glared at her back and flopped down on his own bedroll. He lay there, staring up at the cave ceiling.

'Sakura...' The name echoed in his mind. He drifted in and out of sleep, thinking about the name. Thinking about it relaxed him, soothed his nerves. Flashes of pink and emerald sparked in his mind. He felt so much safer and secure when he thought of it... he whispered the name out loud, enjoying the way it felt to say it.

Blossom shot up. Fan shook himself out of his daze and sat up slowly. Blossom was staring at him, scandalized. Her eyes were wide and her hair was mussed from the pillow.

"How do you..." She whispered. Fan stared at her, hard, as everything came crashing down. He stood up.

"You're Sakura, aren't you." It wasn't a question, so Sakura didn't answer. She bit her lip, trembling and staring at him. It was hard to reconcile this woman with the woman who had so brutally fought Kabuto. Fan couldn't stop his face from twisting into a cold glare. "And I'm Sasuke, aren't I. That's my real name, right?" He demanded, his voice rising. Sakura scrambled to her feet, backing up as Sasuke stalked towards her. "Why would you hide these things from me? Are you trying to trick me? Do you think that just because I lost my memory, that means you can just use me? What are you playing at?"

He finally reached her, having backed her into a wall. He gripped her shoulders. "Why are you so nervous around me? What did I do? How do we know each other?" He continued to pelt her with questions, none of which she answered. She was stock still in his vice and merely gazed up at him, pain and misery evident in her eyes.

Sasuke's head ached, but he ignored it. He pressed her further against the wall. "I will not be used." He hissed.

Sakura's face contorted in sadness and she looked away, wrenching free of his grip.

"I wanted to save you the pain of your life before the attack." She whispered. Sasuke gasped. Sakura looked back at him, a hard, cold mask over her face. "We should try and sleep for a bit. We won't be able to work if we're exhausted." She said without emotion. She pushed past Sasuke and returned to her bedroll, and climbed in. Sasuke remained standing there, staring in shock at her.

Finally, he let out a shaky breath, and returned to his own bedroll. Before he finally fell asleep, he spoke.

"Sakura...please call me by my name from now on."

--


	5. Chapter 5

Midnight

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! Well, I'm still inspired, and I'm keeping up with my updating pace! Yay! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter; an old pairing ends and a new one is introduced. Let me know if you can't figure out who Silent Snow is.

Chapter Five

The rain hadn't let up yet. Naruto slid open the fusuma, watching the citizens of Mist scurry about before dinner in the muddy streets, unhindered by the torrential downpour. He had lived in Tea for most of his childhood and was used to its temperate, dry weather. The rain depressed and distracted him. Moreover, it prevented any effective search for Blossom and Fan. It was impossible to see more than two paces ahead. He hated having to sit around, doing nothing to further their mission. Had they stuck together from the beginning, things would have been fine. But now, everything had been turned into a huge mess. Naruto wondered if it was even possible at this point to get the Jade scroll. The only time they had was the time it would take for Snake to figure out how to open it, and then decode it. Considering his thirst for power, that time wasn't very long.

"Shut the damn door! You're letting in the cold air!" Temari barked from the corner, where she was engaged in a game of chess with Shikamaru, and clearly losing, if her red face was anything to go by. Shikamaru was smoking and paying little attention; mostly studying Temari. Any fool could see he was in love with the woman, and Naruto wondered if Temari had any inkling of her partner's feelings. Naruto rolled his eyes at the woman, but shut the door all the same.

Finally, the sky darkened even more, and everyone decided to turn in for the night. It was useless to stay up and wait for the rain. All they could hope for was that tomorrow morning, the rain would let up enough for them to move at all. Quickly, the sounds of sleep were heard throughout the room. Sai, however, continued to lay awake, his thoughts racing. He had healed quickly and was almost as good as new, which was good considering he intended to leave tonight.

He couldn't stand the thought of Blossom spending more time with Fan, who clearly affected her in a negative way. Sai had convinced himself that he was better for her, and if she continued to work with Fan, her likelihood of being productive would decrease sharply. She _needed_ to be away from Fan.

He was good at finding people, and the rain wouldn't hinder him. Working alone for so many years had afforded him that ability at least, and finally, it would serve its purpose.

Slowly, silent as the night, he rose from his futon and backed out of the room, noiselessly sliding the fusuma. He faced the pouring rain in the night. Tonight, he would take Blossom from Fan, and make her his.

--

Sasuke tossed and turned. As soon as the idea had entered his mind, he had entertained it, and now, he couldn't fight the urge to go through with it any longer. He was going to have to leave tonight. Sakura could deal with Kabuto, that much was for sure.

Sakura refused to tell him about his past and her link to it. The mind games that she seemed to play with him just by existing were pushing him over the edge. He'd remembered hearing of an oracle in Tea, one that could answer questions—but for a price. Similar things had been said about the statues in the bamboo forest, but they were just wives' tales. The oracle in Tea was a guarantee.

Sasuke took one look at Sakura. With any luck, he'd be able to find out who she really was. Shivers raced over his body when he saw her turn over, twisting her upper body to face upward. She murmured and frowned. Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. She was deep in sleep and now was his chance to leave. For some reason, he was reluctant to do so. It hurt, but his need to find out was more pressing.

He steeled his will, and stood. He dressed, and strapped his katana to his back. Passing Kabuto's bound body, he fled the cave, to brave the fierce downpour. He was going to finally get some answers. Maybe he could even find out the Snake's hideout location before the others did.

--

Around midnight, Sakura awoke. Even before she opened her eyes, she could feel that he was gone. She sat up slowly, dejectedly, but then froze in horror.

Not only was Sasuke gone, Kabuto was gone as well. In his place were remnants of the rope that they had used to bind his wrists and ankles. Sakura, trembling, stumbled to the mouth of the cave—just in time to see a familiar figure drop down from the trees. She twisted into a fighting stance, but then the figure removed its hood, revealing Poison Ink. Sakura relaxed into a normal stance.

"Kabuto and Fan are gone!" She choked out. Poison raised his eyebrows as she clenched her fists, attempting to regain her composure. She led him into the cave, where they could speak and Poison could dry off.

Inside, Sakura started a fire. Her face was stony and cold but her mind was a mess of emotions; those being mostly of hurt and worry. Had Kabuto taken Fan? Or had Fan left and Kabuto had decided to follow him? Why hadn't Kabuto used the chance to slit her throat as she slept? ...Why had Sasuke left?

"It was quite lucky that I chanced upon you." Poison said, removing most of his drenched clothing. Systematically, he wrung out each item before laying it down by the fire. He sat in only black pants that had been shielded by his other clothes and were only damp. Sakura meanwhile attempted to fix her hair and yukata, feeling oddly revealed. Poison's eyes seemed to roam all over her, as though he could see her without her yukata. She turned away a bit to shield herself.

"Did the others send you?" She asked, shivering and forcing herself to act rationally. He was just off putting in manner, that was all. She just had to get used to him, she told herself. Poison shook his head.

"I came to find _you_ on my own." He said, his words loaded and sitting heavy in the air. Sakura looked away, remembering how he had looked at her that night. She recalled what she had discovered in his eyes, and felt even more uncomfortable suddenly. Telling herself to relax was useless, because she now had a fair idea of what he was thinking, seeing her in her under robe.

"I have to go find them. They could be anywhere, and I don't know what's going on. I can't just sit here and wait." She said, looking into the fire. Poison shifted closer, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "I don't think Sas—I mean, Fan, went into the bamboo. He wouldn't have done that without me."

"You think he left for personal reasons then." Poison confirmed, studying Blossom. The curve of her shoulder meeting her neck, the way her hair fell into her eyes...the lines of her were so artistic and perfect. His fingers ached to trace them. He watched her nod.

"I'm afraid I angered him. He might have gone into the bamboo anyway, I suppose, to get answers. There are also the oracles. The closest one would be in Tea, I believe." She continued.

"Answers about his past." Poison murmured. Blossom nodded. "Look at me." Poison said. She turned her head slowly, meeting his eyes cautiously. Poison couldn't take it anymore. Every corner of his mind had been colored by desire for her, and he couldn't even pretend to take interest in the two disappearances. They could wait. This could not. "Call me Sai." His voice was barely audible.

"Sai." It could have been the sounds of the rain outside, but indeed, she had spoken. Sai leaned in, slipping his hand in her hair and making a fist, forcing her to turn her head just so. His mouth covered hers, and he heard a rushing noise in his ears, as he slowly bent forward, pushing her closer to the ground and pressing his body against hers, relishing the sensation.

And then, a painful stinging across his face. He had been hit.

Sakura scrambled to her feet, her face the picture of anger. Sai refused to clutch his face, and he stood as well.

"Forget Sasuke." He ordered. Sakura glared hotly.

"He has nothing to do with this. You will _not_ take advantage of me." She hissed. She snatched up her hairpins and began frantically twisting her hair into its intricate hairstyle, walking away from him as she did so.

"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Sai asked, watching her prepare to leave. She threw on her kimono and tied it sloppily.

"Finding Kabuto and then getting the jade scroll. Without you, without Sasuke—without anyone." She turned and disappeared out of the mouth of the cave.

--

"You WHAT?!" Temari screamed. Sai didn't flinch at the noise, and for the second time in the past twenty four hours, felt the sting of a woman's hand slapping his face.

"You idiot! At least before, we knew they were all together. Now they're all in different spots, and we have no fucking clue about any of them, and none of them intend to be found." Kakashi reprimanded. Naruto was beyond fury and, for once, too angry to speak. Shikamaru sighed, muttering something about the whole thing being troublesome.

Sai had assumed that coming back and alerting the others was the right thing to do, but apparently, they were just as angry.

"Why would you even do that?" Temari sneered. "From now on, you stay with us. If we see that you're trying to leave and do your own thing, we're going to beat the living daylights out of you, you hear me? You've fucked up two times. What is _wrong_ with you?!"

Sai said nothing, for there was nothing to say. Sakura had no interest in him, obviously, and the revelation stung more than her slap. Whatever happened now, he cared little.

--

Silent Snow bound his long brown hair back in a loose tie, and strapped his two short swords onto his back in a crisscross. He had heard of a certain warrior coming to his town, and he wasn't about to miss a chance at meeting them.

The word was that the infamous Floating Blossom was passing through. He had always been curious about this warrior. One of the famed Five, rumor had it that they were a woman. It seemed preposterous, but he'd learned that anything was possible.

They were supposed to be leaving today, and Snow figured he could catch them at the town gate. They were headed toward Tea, likely, because that was the only worthwhile destination around here, especially since they were coming from the direction of Mist.

He ran along the high town wall, and once he'd reached the north gate, leapt into a nearby tree. The trees around here stood high and thick, and their branches draped down, forming curtains of prickly needle-bearing twigs. It was easy to slide all the way to the ground on one of the long, sloping branches, but as long as one stayed towards the top, the branches were fairly sturdy. Even here, a light mist lingered about the ground. The ground itself was much firmer than that of Mist, but it still had swampy patches. Any traveler would know to be careful and move slower than usual.

He waited, and his breath caught as he saw a figure leaving the town. It was a petite woman, wearing a beautiful kimono that had been shortened, and her hair pinned up in elaborate pins and jewels. Her hair was a soft pink that contrasted with her bright jade eyes.

She stood, looking around, and then jumped up with ease and evident skill into a tree. Clearly, she was a fighter, and a skilled one at that. Snow stood, and ran on light feet along a branch, jumping off at the tip and reaching a tree in front of her.

She saw him about to accost her, and frowned, jumping up higher. Snow snatched her foot, pulling her down. She lost her footing slightly, and just barely caught the branch. Snow smirked.

"I didn't think it would be so easy to trip you up...Floating Blossom." He said in a deep voice. She kicked out of his grasp and didn't respond, jumping back up and returning to her path. Snow glared, jumping up and following her. "Fight me!" He called after her. She didn't even look back as she responded.

"I am on a mission. Do not interrupt me!" She called back, moving even faster. Finally, she disappeared into the thick greenery, and Snow stopped on a branch, exhaling in frustration.

_'What a rush.' _He thought. He looked down to see something sparkling even in the meager light. It was caught among the needles. He bent down slowly, picking it up gingerly and holding it up to better light.

It was a ring. A plain silver band was studded by a single piece of rose quartz, uneven in shape and texture, and quite small. He examined it closely. It was clearly Floating Blossom's, and in her haste to get away from him, she had lost it. It looked damaged, like she had had it for a very long time and worn it every single day. He slid a chain from around his neck, and strung the ring onto the chain. He smirked. She'd come back to look for it, and then she'd have to confront him.

--

Uh oh! Where'd Kabuto go, and why didn't he kill Sakura? Will Sasuke make it to the oracle at Tea? Find out in chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

Midnight

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! We're moving today, so I'm posting this a little earlier than usual. Ack! I have to drive one of the cars to the new house. It's a two hour drive, I'm kind of scared. Haha. Anyways, regarding this chapter...now is when things really get going. -evil laugh- I had fun writing this chapter, although I'm not positive exactly how things will go from here yet. Well, I've got a day and a half to think about it. If you guys have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

"Prepare Priestess Hyuga." A guard's voice boomed. Women wearing flowing elaborate kimono rushed into the shrine, preparing it, movign about the shadows. Sasuke squinted into the shrine. Heavy scents emanated from beyond the thick draperies and the sound of shamisen could be heard.

Tea was a beautiful city, smelling, of course, of strong tea everywhere. It was bright and sunny and the variety of vegetation was stunning to both newcomers as well as old residents. Sasuke had been impressed by it, but even more so by the shrine.

Rising up at the north gate of the enormous city, towering over all of the other buildings, was an immense pagoda. To Sasuke's eyes, it appeared to be even bigger than Sarutobi's palace. Its gold paint gleamed in the bright sunlight, and smoke from burning tea leaves filtered its way out over the city. Many young priestesses in training fluttered about the main courtyard, and from hall to hall, chanting sutras and studying and giving minor tea leaf readings. In Leaf, the shrines had been small, dingy places, hidden away in alleys and in the backs of stores. Tea seemed to be teeming with them.

"You may come inside." A young woman said in a whispery voice, beckoning for Sasuke to enter. "But first, you must remove your mask and weapons." She admonished. Sasuke hesitated, and slipped off his mask. The woman blushed at his handsomeness. He undid the strap holding his katana to his back and placed it in the woman's small hands.

He followed her inside, his heart pounding. What would be the price for what he would find out? Everyone knew that this shrine forced you to make a bargain for what you would find.

In the middle of the hall sat a tiny woman with shining opalescent eyes and markings on her forehead. Black hair that gleamed purple in the lighting hung down around her face and was coiled around hairpins that reminded Sasuke of Sakura. At this thought, his stomach twisted. He wanted her to be here with him, he admitted to himself. He almost regretted leaving her. He hoped she wouldn't hate him too much. At least this way, she couldn't color the truth to fit her own motivations.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Midnight Fan. I have been expecting you." The priestess whispered, her voice quavery and hinting at a stammer. With a rustling of fabric and the slamming of fusuma, the entrance to the shrine was blocked. Light streamed into the pagoda through the paneling in the wood and a skylight at the top, and candles placed in a perfect circle around Priestess Hyuga lit up the immediate area. "As you know, the universe is a system of checks and balances. For every fact you learn today, you will pay a price for it. You must agree to pay the price before you know it. Do you wish to proceed? This is your last chance to back out." She warned. She almost seemed to be advising him against it, and looked at him with a pitying, heavy stare, making his skin crawl. He hated people feeling sorry for him. He did not want their pity. Sasuke clenched his fists.

What could the price possibly be? His katana? That was the only thing of value that he owned. He could give it up; katana were just swords. He could always find another one.

"I do." He said firmly. Priestess Hyuga seemed to frown, but in the flickering, unsteady light, he couldn't be sure. The intense, heady smell of tea leaves burning was making him feel sick to his stomach. "I wish...to know about my life, and to learn of the true hideout of the warrior, Snake." He continued, his throat and mouth suddenly dry. Again, he thought of Sakura.

"I assumed as much. You may read from this scroll as far as you can. For every piece of information, your eyes will begin to hurt a little more, until they are bleeding. If you make it to the end of the scroll, you will lose your sight completely. It will be more painful than anything you have ever and will ever experience. You may come and take the scroll. You must read it here, in front of me."

Sasuke licked his lips, and stepped forward, taking the scroll that had been placed outside of the circle of candles. He met the priestesses' eyes, and they held the gaze for a beat extra.

He sat down crosslegged, and opened the scroll with unsteady hands. He would read as much as he absolutely needed to know...perhaps he could even skip over parts.

"Oh, and Uchiha Sasuke...that scroll is charmed. You must read line by line; there is no skipping."

She must have read his thoughts. Sasuke shot her a glower, and then began reading, still unsure if this was worth his sight.

--

Midnight Fan was a man shrouded in mystery, and left rumors and stories in his wake wherever he went. He did not bother to hide himself or move fights to secluded areas. For this reason, he was not difficult to track down. No, the true difficulty would be in tracking down Kabuto and Floating Blossom. Blossom was like water, and could slip through cracks easily without being noticed until it was too late; indeed she depended on her subtlety. Kabuto had spent years hidden, so he too was good at hiding.

"We've got Fan. He's in Tea, at the Oracle." Kakashi said, shutting the fusuma behind him. "I have an old friend there; I sent him a messenger bird." He elaborated.

It had been one week since everything had fallen apart. The same night that Blossom, Fan, and Kabuto had all disappeared, the Snake had attacked emperor Sarutobi, demanding of him to open the scroll. Sarutobi had refused, and had been tortured and then killed by Snake. Now, Sarutobi's grandson, Konohamaru, was on the throne. But he was young, and his training to be emperor had not been finished yet. He looked even more like a child when he was forced to give out orders. It seemed that Leaf was bound to fall soon. As soon as the scroll was opened, it would be the end.

"Well, that doesn't help us." Temari snapped. "No one's seen Blossom?"

"She may or may not have been spotted in a small town outside of Tea; we can't be sure. I told my friend to keep his ear to the ground. He'll let me know if he sees her or Kabuto in his travels." Kakashi replied tersely. He and Temari didn't get along very well, but he and Sai were even worse. It was clear that Kakashi resented Sai. Naruto had been able to get past his dislike for the man, but Kakashi was stuck on it.

Shikamaru crossed his arms and leaned back, sighing.

"Who is this friend of yours, anyway? You sure we can trust him?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. Kakashi nodded.

"You may have heard of him, or even been trained by him. He's known by most as Dolphin. I know Fox knows him."

Naruto nodded proudly.

"There's no one I trust more." He said,grinning.

"I wonder...what will be the price Fan will pay for the questions he will ask?" Sai wondered out loud. Everyone looked between each other.

"He has nothing of value, and no personal attachments. I just...I can't help but wonder. I'm sorry, I should be thinking about leads on Blossom and Kabuto." Sai said, staring out the window.

"Do you think Blossom went after him? She said she wouldn't, but it may have been to throw us off balance." Naruto said. "Maybe Kabuto went after him too."

Shikamaru sighed again.

"Who knows."

--

In the swamps surrounding Mist, a man lay half in the water, half on a rock, his left ear bleeding profusely, with puss coming out of it. He was groaning in pain as he pressed on his ear, trying to force the yellowish green substance out of his ear. But already he could smell the rotting scent that flesh acquired when it started to die. He'd have to cut his ear off soon, he knew.

Damn Blossom and her poisonous needles. He was going to take revenge. Orochimaru had found him, lying nearly unconscious, in the swamp, and had told him he was useless, and was abandoning him now. The knowledge that he could very well die here sat like a deadweight in his stomach. He refused to just die here, suffering, in a godforsaken swamp. No, he had to make Blossom suffer more than she ever had before. He'd make her suffer, and then, he'd make Orochimaru suffer. They would all bow down to him now.

He had had a week to contemplate this now, and had decided that the best course of action would be to use Fan against her, just as he had used her against Fan two years before. As he had slashed her body, forcing her to miscarry, Fan had screamed in agony, and surrendered himself before he harmed her any further. It was so effective, to use one's loved ones against them. Fan wouldn't remember it, but Blossom certainly would.

Kabuto let himself smile. Now, Blossom would suffer as he had suffered. And then he'd pay Orochimaru back for all of those years of mistreatment.

--

Sakura had many things she regretted in her life. As Tsunade had told her they would, today the regret and guilt sat in her stomach, so heavy that she could barely move. Word had reached the town she was staying in that Sarutobi was dead. In his stead, his grandson, an idiotic little boy named Konohamaru was ruling. Already the leaf country was in chaos. The city in Leaf was being overrun by thugs already. They had become, in one week, the laughing stock of the entire world.

Had she just ignored everything and worked on her own from the very beginning, this never would have happened. They should have realized Sarutobi wasn't safe. She felt stupid and helpless, a feeling she despised more than anything.

Now, she sat in her room in a cheap inn, staring into the mirror and wondering what the hell her next move would be. She didn't even know anymore. She was flailing now.

She left the inn and left the town, to perhaps try and train for a bit. She always thought more clearly and rationally when she was training. Tsunade had told her that a woman must always be moving. The water in constantly running streams never became stagnant.

She found a small clearing and began practicing forms, when she realized someone was watching her. She continued working on her forms, trying to sense where the person was and if they intended any harm.

Just as she felt them coming at her from behind, she whirled around, senbon in hand. It was the man from before, with the long hair and strange eyes. She glared, and deflected a dagger he had tossed at her with ease. He smirked, and pulled back. He reached up behind him, removing a necklace, and held it up to the light for her to see.

She gasped as a ring on the necklace caught her eye. She snapped her gaze down onto her own hand, realizing the rose quartz ring she always wore there was gone. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. That ring...was her wedding ring.

"That...how did you get that?" She demanded furiously. The man smirked again.

"Now you're interested." He observed, putting the necklace back on. He turned, and looked behind him. "Come and take it from me." He challenged, and then disappeared into the trees.

She let out a curse and then jumped up, following him. He was not as skilled as she was, that was for sure. He left broken twigs and moving branches in his wake, although she could have followed him based on noise alone, he made so much of it.

She caught up to him in a patch of bamboo, and they each balanced on separate poles, the poles swaying with their weight.

"You're Floating Blossom, are you not?" The man called. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"What's it to you?"

The man leaned on his branch, forcing it to move towards her. He smiled, his opal eyes gleaming and glittering like snow.

"I have wanted to fight you for years now. I intend to become one of your rank. My name...is Silent Snow." He announced. Sakura laughed nearly hysterically, causing Snow to glare.

"Oh, really, Silent Snow? More like Pile of Rocks Falling. You need much training."

Snow smiled again, and Sakura admitted to herself that he had an attractive smile. It would never be as attractive as Sasuke's, but it had its own merits. She returned the smile.

"I was leading you. I'll show you my real ability." He said. Sakura was about to laugh...but he disappeared.

"Shit." She swore, and froze, trying to listen as closely as she could.

Suddenly, she felt a teasing sensation running up her back. She whirled around, only to grab a dagger by the business end. She ripped it out of Silent Snow's hand, cutting her own hand even more and pulling him towards her. She spun, intending to throw him off balance, but he jumped away and landed on another bamboo pole. Now, her hand was bloody and he'd cut up her kimono as well as her underrobe, causing it to slip off her shoulders.

She jumped over to him, and he moved as well. He led her out of the bamboo patch and into the trees again, moving away from the town and towards a valley. In the pit of the valley was an enormous lake that was fed by a river that ran between two nearby mountains. Just beyond these mountains was the ocean. Already she could begin to smell the salty scent of the water as they moved further down into the valley. Between the two mountains, the sun was setting, turning the two snow-covered cliff faces orange and red.

"Do you like swimming, Snow?" She called to him coyly. He was further down the side of the valley, and they each stood on treetops. He turned to answer, and she used this chance to pounce. They tumbled through the air, cutting at each other with senbon, until they landed in a tree. They fought their way out, and fell to the ground, but continued rolling down the hill. Sakura had to admit that she was enjoying herself; she hadn't had this enjoyable of a spar in years.

They reached the shore of the lake, and she held Snow over the water. He smiled that same smile at her again, distracting her long enough to pull her into the water with him.

They swam to the lake's center, and took a deep breath before submerging. Underwater, they began fighting, swimming in circles and jabbing at each other. Snow couldn't help but marvel at Blossom's beauty. Underwater, her skin, exposed by her slashed kimono, looked blue, and her eyes were a piercing green. Her hair rose up, freeing itself of its pins, and curled around the reeds that wrapped themselves around her limbs. She looked like some sort of goddess. Snow had never imagined that the famed warrior, Floating Blossom, would be beautiful. He had imagined an older, stout woman, with wild hair and many scars. The only other female warrior he had come across was Desert Flower, who looked more the part of a warrior, with her spiky, untamed blonde hair and her dark, feral eyes. She had her own distinctive beauty, but Blossom was so delicate and refined looking, although her appearance was deceiving.

They came up for air and treaded water, looking at each other and panting.

"I was wrong. You're mediocre, not terrible." Blossom teased. Her kimono had slid fully off her shoulders and only her shoulders poked out of the water, giving the impression that she was naked. Snow fought to keep his thoughts in line.

"I want to show you something." He said, pushing his hair out of his eyes with one hand. Blossom half-smiled, and she followed him across the lake, to where it became a river. The sun was beginning to set. Snow hoped she liked what he intended to show her; he was already falling in love.

--

Priestess Hinata Hyuga had seen many things in her young life. At an early age, she had shown some promise as an oracle. She was raised in a clan of fighters, and she failed in that department. She was the least aggressive person in the world, and felt empathy for everyone, no matter what the situation. Because of her failure as a warrior, she had pursued the path of an oracle with the greatest determination and purpose, causing her to rise to among the best fairly quickly.

Two years ago, she had heard of the famous warrior Midnight Fan, and what had happened to his family—his children killed, his pregnant wife forced to miscarry, and an injury to the head that had caused him amnesia. From then on, she had been expecting him at her shrine at Tea. Everything she had heard of him was true, from his renowned handsomeness to the beautiful katana that he carried. She had never felt sorrier for a person, for he had lost everything and didn't even understand. She had known his older brother, who was perhaps a better man, in that he had tried his best to save Sasuke of the horrors that he had known would befall him. Uchiha Itachi had gone to Sasuke's home in Leaf, to try and get there before Orochimaru and Kabuto did. But he had been too late, and at Sasuke's request, used his dying breath to take Sasuke's wife to a doctor.

Itachi had always felt strongly for Sakura, but had never spoken of it, if only because he cared for his brother too much to cause problems. He had asked Hinata if Sakura would ever feel the same way, and had traded his speech for it. He had only been able to nod when Sasuke had asked him to save Sakura.

Itachi had died outside of a medicine woman's hut. After stepping out, he had collapsed immediately, unable to even cry out. Hinata, of course, had known all of this would happen. Itachi had led a life of tragedy, and only now was his little brother finding out exactly how tragic his life really had been.

Hinata did not want Sasuke to lose his sight, so she had gone against fate. She had burned special herbs, and the smoke had caused the youngest Uchiha to pass out before he did any permanent damage to his retinas. He now knew of what had happened in the accident, and knew of what his brother and Sakura had endured. That, she felt, was enough. He didn't need to know about the horrific past of the Uchiha clan, or of how Sakura had won his affection, or how he had angered Orochimaru. These things were not important anymore.

"Take him to the shrine at the lake." She ordered, and two of her guards picked Sasuke's limp body off of the ground, his perfect face shining with sweat. He had gripped the scroll, reading hungrily, his face twisting in horror with each passing moment.

After they left, she picked up the scroll, and held it over one of the candles, until it burned to ash.

--

What does Snow want to show Sakura? Will Sasuke wake up, and when he does, how will he feel? Will the others ever find the scroll? Will Orochimaru figure out how to open it? How will Kabuto exact revenge? Find out in chapter seven! Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

Midnight

A/N: So, we've moved. The house is still being worked on, so I haven't gotten a chance to unpack or anything. Two solid days of work! Gah! And yet, I was still able to write this chapter and post it on time. Now THAT shows I have no life. Haha. At any rate, this chapter...I'm really happy with it. The gears of the story are turning and things are happening. Yay! There's also a mention (a slight one) of a yaoi pairing. Let me know if you can spot it.

Oh, and by the way, for clarification: Silent Snow is Neji, and Dolphin is Iruka.

Anyways, thanks for all of your lovely reviews, and please, keep them coming! I love hearing your questions and criticism because it makes me try harder when I write.

Enjoy, my dears.

Chapter Seven

The first thing that Sasuke felt was pain. An intense, heavy, blinding pain, searing right down the center of his forehead. His eyes throbbed, to the point where he was afraid to open them. Slowly, events of before came to him, and he realized that he must have lost his sight. The oracle had said that his eyes would bleed, depending on how far he had made it through the scroll.

So, he kept his eyes shut, and continued to lay where he was. The sound of birds and rustling leaves was nearby, and it occurred to Sasuke that forever from now on, he would be relying on sound to get him by. It was unlikely that he would be as capable of a fighter ever again. In a way, he had sacrificed his katana as well, because who in their right mind would try to wield a sword without being able to see it?

He cracked open his eyes. He was wondering what it was like to have eyes wide open and still not see, although it was apparent that he had spent his entire life in such a manner.

And then, blinding light. Slowly, the world around him buzzed into focus. It was a little less sharp than his vision had been before...but barely. He still had his sight.

He stared up at the leaves, and then sat up, looking around him.

Around him, rocky cliff faces reached towards the early evening sky. Brightly hued plants and birds covered the rocks, but further up, gave way to perfect, sparkling snow. He sat at the center of a large lake, on a dock of sorts. It was just big enough for him to lay there, and a long thin dock connected his platform to a large, elaborate shrine. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life, and its beauty was heightened by the fact that he could see it.

He heard the sound of feet padding on wood, and he turned to see the priestess moving slowly towards him. In the open air, she looked even more strange, for ornamentation dripped all over her, making her sparkle and gleam. She was quite pretty, and her eyes were an eerie opalescent hue, adding to her mystique.

"M-my eyes!" Sasuke called out, his voice raspy and pained. The priestess reached him and knelt down beside him, placing delicate, pale fingers against his forehead, pressing down lightly and making him lay back down. She pushed away his black hair and traced her fingers over his features, slowly and carefully.

"Uchiha Sasuke. I may be an oracle, but I am still a woman. A living woman, with empathy and emotions. I have beliefs and opinions of my own. I have been taught to separate my own opinions from my visions, but sometimes, they taint them anyway. You do not deserve a third chance. But I am giving one to you still. Much has been given to you, and you have deserved none of it. Do you know why I am giving you another chance?" She asked, pulling her hand back and staring down at him. The wind blew lightly, causing the ornaments in her hair to jingle slightly.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because you are human, and humans make many mistakes before they understand." She answered simply. The priestess continued. "I am going against fate by giving you your sight. You never had sight to begin with, you know. But now..." She studied him carefully. "You must understand that all rivers eventually lead to the ocean, and all veins..." Here, she picked up his wrist, and using a needle from her hair, cut into it lightly. Shining, red blood poured out, and she put pressure on the wound to make it stop. "...All veins lead to the heart." The blood streamed down his skin and dropped onto the wood. The sight of his own blood made him nauseated for the first time. "There are many ways to reach a goal. This is sight, when you can see the paths leading to one thing. Your destiny is not to find the Jade scroll. That is the destiny of Ninetailed Fox. Your destiny..." She paused, and looked beyond the cliff faces. "There is a lake in a valley very close to this lake. Right now, your wife is there, with another man. Do you see what this will lead to?" She asked.

Sasuke's head ached and his blood boiled. His wife was Sakura, he remembered. "She's left me then?" He asked angrily. The priestess sighed.

"Right now, there is not a single person left in the world who loves you. But that is right now. I have given you your vision, but you must cultivate your sight. I can cure your headaches, btu for three days, you must remain here. Come rain or flood, you must stay here, on this very dock, and you must see your destiny. Perhaps healing your headaches will even give you some memories back."

She rose, leaving Sasuke shocked into silence. He sat up, watching her walk reverently away. She disappeared inside the shrine, and it was only now that Sasuke realized the scent of burning tea leaves was surrounding him completely. He looked around, seeing many lanterns with smoke drifting out of them. The scent was intoxicating and made him feel sleepy. He leaned back again, and stared into the sky, watching the clouds drift over head as dusk fell upon the lake. Sakura did not love him anymore. The priestess had said so herself. There was no one who loved him. He was truly and completely alone.

As he drifted in and out of sleep, he dreamt of veins emptying into a sea of blood. He dreamt of emerald eyes, like stars in the midnight sky. He dreamt of dirt roads, leading to a beating heart. The smoke of burning tea leaves swirled around a scroll encased in jade, that he could not quite catch. He dreamt of Sakura, slipping out her hairpins and undoing her kimono. He saw a man with eyes like snow, and heard Sakura whisper words, words not meant for him. This...this was sight.

--

A messenger bird flew into the camp that the group had set up. Swooping down, the hawk landed on Kakashi's shoulder, cawed, and dropped a few scraps of paper.

"Looks like Dolphin's keeping in touch." Shikamaru commented, the smoke emanating from his mouth and nose. He had rolled tea leaves inside a scrap of paper to smoke on, and the smoke was making everyone tired.

The hawk flapped off, the beating of its wings the only sound in the night. Kakashi placed the three scraps of paper on the ground.

"Blossom taken by Snow. Windows shattered. Fan is broken." Kakashi read out loud. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Broken? And Kabuto is 'shattered'? Does that mean dead? And what the hell does he mean by Snow?" Naruto demanded. Kakashi looked up at the younger man.

"How am I supposed to know? Dolphin's never been this cryptic before. Something bad is happening...he must be under surveillance." Kakashi thought out loud, tapping his fingers against his knee.

"Shattered doesn't necessarily mean dead. He might just be out of the loop for a while. And in terms of Fan being 'broken'...maybe he's talking about the price Fan had to pay to the oracle." Shikamaru said, twirling the cigarette in his fingers. Sai nodded.

"But what about Snow? Why did he capitalize it? Is that someone's name?" He asked. Everyone remained silent as they thought.

"We could go to the oracle, and get some answers." Naruto suggested finally. "I know it's a drastic measure, but...well, we all know it's past the point of hesitation. We need to act, and we need to do it now."

"I agree. I can't take this sitting around crap anymore. I need action." Temari groaned, fisting her hands in her hair.

"Howabout this...we go to the city tonight, find a place to stay and set up a base, and tomorrow, first thing, we talk to the oracle. After that, we'll decide what to do." Shikamaru said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"It's the best plan we've got." Sai said.

They packed up, and began traveling to the city in Tea. Sai racked his brain for some idea of what Dolphin could have meant by 'Snow.' Snow? Was that a person? An enemy? Was Blossom okay? He prayed to the gods that she was. Part of him told himself she could handle anything. She was the strongest fighter he had ever seen and certainly one of the smartest, aside from Shikamaru.

He also hoped that Fan was suffering, for making Blossom so sad. Hatred for the man boiled up inside of him. How could she love a man who left, without any regard for her feelings? Sai had heard the stories; she and Fan's marriage had been under a lot of strain even before the attack. How could she possibly still care for him?

Sai would have given anything to make Blossom see the error of her feelings, but for now, all he could do was make sure that she was safe from Snow, whoever or whatever that was.

Kakashi led the group with Naruto, for they knew Tea the best. Kakashi prayed that Dolphin would be alright. His messages were usually more carefully written and detailed. Did he fear that the message would be intercepted?

He also missed Dolphin dearly. Dolphin was his only close friend, and they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Dolphin had married, betraying what Kakashi had felt was an agreement between him and his friend. A long time ago... well, it wasn't important anymore. People changed, as did their feelings. Whatever had existed between him and Dolphin for that time so many years ago was clearly gone in Dolphin's mind. But Kakashi could forgive him that. That was true love—to forgive a person's sins, not because it was the right thing to do, or because you wanted to, but simply because you couldn't possibly _not_ do it.

--

Naruto slipped out of the inn and jumped into the street. In the pale light of dawn, the pagoda was silhouetted and was quite intimidating, but Naruto steeled his will. If Fan had done it, he could too. He had plenty of questions that he was ready to have answered now, and the price did not matter.

Jumping from roof to roof, he made his way across the city to the pagoda, his blood pounding in his ears. If the oracle could just tell him exactly where the scroll was, then that would be enough. He could get it, defeat Orochimaru, and then everything else would fall into place.

The guards stood all around the pagoda, watching like hawks for any sign of danger to the priestess. Naruto scoffed; a few guards had never stopped him, the great Ninetailed Fox.

He jumped on top of the high wall surrounding the complex and ran along it, so fast he appeared to either be a shadow or a trick of the eyes to the guards.

Now for the tricky part. He stood behind the pagoda on the wall, looking upwards. He knew there was a skylight in the pagoda, so he could get in through there. It was a long jump from the wall to the pagoda. He backed up slightly on the wall, and took a running leap, landing awkwardly on the second story of the pagoda.

He clambered up slowly, trying his best to make the least amount of noise possible. A few tiles skittered off the roof, but nothing that was enough to catch the notice of the guards.

Finally, he reached the seventh story of the pagoda. The skylight was just barely big enough for him to get into, and of course, the next problem was getting from the skylight to the ground without breaking any bones. Pagoda, of course, appeared to have several stories from the outside, but inside, it was just one room.

He pulled a thin cable from inside his yukata, happy that he was unusually prepared. He almost never carried supplies with him. He tied one end of the cable to the friendlier end of a dagger, and lodged it in the roof as hard as he could. He looped the other end around the sash holding up his pants, and then, slowly, climbed inside the pagoda.

At the bottom, the priestess was drawing in a wide, shallow box of sand that had a few smooth stones in it. Candles lit up the room completely, and it smelled heavily of tea. Naruto's eyes watered, for the smoke from the burning leaves drifted up and out the skylight.

Bit by bit, he fed the cable out, so that he slowly lowered himself to the ground, silently. He was going to land right next to the priestess, but he could always escape if there were trouble. He had been sloppy about entering the complex, and even then, none of the guards had noticed at all. They were not skilled and could be taken out easily, obviously. He would be fine.

He untied the cable as he landed on his feet. The priestess glanced at him, unsurprised.

"I am--"

"I know." She whispered. Her voice was nervous and quavering, and she stammered very much. Upon looking at him, she blushed slightly. "You are here to find out about Fan and the Jade scroll." She stated, turning back to the rocks and sand. She moved a large, unshapely rock across the sand.

"Well...yes." He admitted, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. The priestess smiled.

"It is your destiny to find the Jade scroll and defeat Snake." She said, turning to him again. He strode over to stand in front of her. He sat down lotus-style, and awaited information. "I cannot tell you anything more without taking something from you." She said apologetically. Naruto nodded.

"I was prepared for that the moment I chose to come here." He said, clenching his fists and thinking of Fan and Blossom.

"You were supposed to come here with the others. But you didn't...because you have a personal question." She said, meeting his eyes. Naruto looked away, ashamed. "The price for all of your questions..." She began, her voice quavering even more. "...I..."

Naruto held his breath, waiting.

"I...no. This isn't right. I cannot..." She stood up and began pacing nervously, twisting her hands. "I cannot interfere with destiny and the saving of the world. Naruto, the Jade scroll contains secrets..._evil_ secrets...powers that, when used, can destroy the world. Orochimaru hides in Sand. You only have two days to get him there. As for your personal question...no, she will never love you. Even now, she lays with another man. Now... Go." She said, the horror in her voice escalating.

"But what about the price?" Naruto asked, standing up as well. The priestess shook her head.

"Just go!" She commanded, her voice unusually firm. Naruto nodded, slowly at first backing out. Finally he turned and ran out of the pagoda, shouting back at her that he'd save the world.

Hinata watched him leave, her heart pounding. For such vital information, a vital price must be paid. The universe must remain in balance.

With shaking hands, she picked up a knife, and slashed her own wrists.

--

After showing Sakura his home, Snow had let her spend the night there. He had mostly wanted to show her the views from his home on the mountainside, which indeed had been incredible.

She slept in a room he used for drying herbs to make medicines for the wounds he acquired in his training. The smells together made her eyes burn, but it was warm and dry, and he was being oddly kind to her. He didn't even sleep in the same room as her. He had simply bid her good night, and told her that his room was just the next room over.

The ring he had stolen from her was her wedding ring. It was cheap and had been bought from a street vendor five minutes before the wedding; Sasuke hadn't known that he was supposed to supply a ring after they had said their vows. Most men would have chosen a more elaborate ring, with precious stones and fancy, complicated designs, to prove their love. But Sasuke had been that confident in her love for him, had been that sure that she would like whatever he chose. He had presented her the ring, and slipped it on her finger, holding her hand in his a little longer than normal. She realized now that he had been reveling in the fact that she was his now, forever.

The ring had been so cheap that it felt weightless on her hand. Good jewelry, as every woman knew, was heavier. But Sakura had liked how the ring felt. Several times, the stone had fallen off of it, and she had had to come up with clever ways to reattach it. Sasuke had offered, later on, to buy her a nicer one, but she insisted on keeping it.

Sakura closed her eyes, feeling the familiar stinging sensation in the back of her eyes, of tears about to come. She would never get those days back.

But men loved her. She could easily remarry. But the idea of replacing the ring made her queasy. She didn't want another husband. She wanted comfort when she needed it. Maybe Snow would be willing to provide her with that.

She sat up slowly, an idea formulating in her mind, swirling like smoke as it took shape. Abandoning her blanket, she stood up, and left her room. She knocked on Snow's door, her hands trembling.

"Yes?" He had been awake too. His voice had no hint of sleepiness in it.

"May...may I come in?" She asked. The worn-down fusuma slid open, revealing Snow. He wore only a pair of loose pants, and his long hair had been tied back sloppily.

"Is something wrong?" He queried, studying her face. She shook her head.

"I just...was lonely." She finished lamely. Snow hesitated, and then let her inside, shutting the fusuma behind her.

His room was tidy and bare. The futon lay untouched. He hadn't even been trying to sleep, obviously. A small mat lay on the floor next to a window, along with two candles, which had been lit.

"I meditate often." He explained. Sakura nodded, looking around. She turned to him.

"Why did you seek me out?" She asked. Snow apparently had been unprepared for that question. "I know it wasn't just because of my ring." She added. Snow smiled.

"I...had heard so many stories. But I desired to find out for myself."

"Ah." She said, nodding. "My husband gave me the ring."

Snow looked confused. She sighed. "I am no longer married, but I loved the ring, so I have kept it anyway." She said. Snow nodded. He took the ring from the chain around his neck. He held it in his fist and did not give it to her.

"Old things can take on new meanings." He said smoothly. "You should think about it. We'll talk in the morning." He slid open the fusuma. Sakura's breath had caught in her throat and she stared at him.

"You..you want me to..." She stammered, reddening. She had assumed he wanted a night with her, but never had she thought he might be interested in marriage.

"I have never been so captivated by a woman. Floating Blossom, you can either leave, or stay and become my wife. Let me know when you've made your decision."

She left his bedroom, chills running all over her body. That had been most unexpected.

A part of her, bigger than she liked to admit, wanted to accept the offer.

--

Sasuke's eyes shot open. He sat up slowly, his heart pounding. Sight. He had had a vision.

Blood pouring from the priestess' wrists as Fox fled the scene. But...he hadn't killed her. She had paid the price for him. He didn't know what had happened, he was just blindly running to Snake.

Sasuke stood up on wobbly legs. Was it possibly to gain sight in such a short amount of time? Or was it coincidence. Had the priestess foreseen this, and known he had a hidden talent for visions? Perhaps, all this time, the nightmares he had had were really visions.

He stumbled down the dock, towards the shrine. He wasn't far from the city, he assumed. He could get there before the hour was up. He didn't have anything with him other than his black pants and foot wrappings, but that would be all he needed. He had to at least try and save the priestess, after all she had done for him. She had given him his sight, in the hopes that he would turn around and change his life. Saving the scroll was not his destiny...but perhaps this was.

--


	8. Chapter 8

Midnight

A/N: Wow, dudes. Already to chapter eight. How insane is THAT? We're closing in on the end here...chapter 9 is almost finished! Yay. I don't think I've ever put out this many chapters in such a short amount of time...I'm proud of myself :D

Anyways. Thanks for all of your reviews, and keep em coming!

Chapter Eight

Sakura continued to stand outside of Snow's room, her heart pounding so loud that it drowned out all other sound. Adrenaline pumped in her veins, forcing her to turn and hesitate before drawing aside the fusuma again. Snow was sitting on his mat between the two candles, placid as ever.

"You've decided already?" He asked, and Sakura nodded, sliding the fusuma shut with oddly still hands. Now that she was in his room, about to go through with agreeing, she felt calm, as though it were all already over.

"I...would like to be with you." She said, meeting his gaze. Snow nodded, his expression blank. But she knew from so many years of Sasuke that a blank expression meant all kinds of emotional turmoil going on inside. He was thinking, carefully, on his next move; she could tell.

"Your kimono is ruined." He commented, standing up. She glanced down at the slashed fabric, and at her nearly-bare shoulders. She held her breath as he reached her, and took her by the shoulders, turning her around so he could undo her obi. He pulled it out with slow, smooth motions. She remembered what it had been like to have Sasuke do the same thing. He had always undone it with rough, swift movement, impatient and forceful.

His hands ghosted up her neck, to her hair, where he slipped out the hairpins. She reached up, helping him. The pins clattered to the floor, and she stared straight ahead, unthinking, as he pulled the kimono gently off her shoulders, touching his lips to her neck. The thick silk fell to the floor in a rustle, piling around her feet. Her heart began pounding heavily, a drum in her ears, and she closed her eyes, and decided she wouldn't think about it.

--

Dawn broke. Naruto ran in a frenzy along the wall surrounding the city, panicking. Only two days to catch Orochimaru at Sand, and it would take a day and a half to get there. He needed a faster mode of travel, but...what would that be?

He racked his brains until he passed by the inn where his group was staying, and an idea popped into his head. Smiling, he made the leap from the wall to the window, and sneaked in.

Everyone was still sound asleep, having been exhausted from before. Just seeing them all sleep so heavily made Naruto's eyelids feel weighted, but he ignored the fatigue and instead crept across the room to where Temari was sleeping.

It was almost sweet; Temari and Shikamaru faced each other in their separate bedrolls, and the space between theirs was slightly smaller than the space between everyone else's. Naruto snorted at the sight before snatching Temari's huge fan from beside her bed. Without further hesitation, he fled the room, running back to his course at top speed. He'd get to Sand in half the time now.

The priestess hadn't made him pay the price, and he wondered why, as he sailed over the countryside. She had said it was his destiny to get the scroll, so he supposed that the universe could make an exception for him. He grinned at the thought.

But there had been sad news. Sakura would never have feelings for him. He wondered who was the man she was with. It had to be Snow, as Dolphin (better known as Iruka) had mentioned in his letter. The priestess hadn't mentioned any threat to Sakura, so Naruto had to assume she was fine and happy enough.

The priestess had been unexpectedly beautiful and young. Naruto had imagined her to be an old, plain woman, who smelled bad and spoke in riddles. Her beauty was haunting and lingered in Naruto's mind in the same way that the scent of tea leaves lingered on his skin.

The sun was warming up the air now, as Naruto traveled further from Tea, his hair blowing in the breeze as he surfed the air on Temari's fan, heading closer and closer to his destiny.

--

Sasuke didn't bother with sneaking in. Subtlety had never been his strong suit, and he hadn't bothered to hone his stealth skills. When needed, he'd do a mediocre job, but at this moment, he didn't care to. The priestess was dying, and undoubtedly once the guards and other priestesses saw the state of hteir oracle, they would forgive his intrusion.

"You can't--" A guard began, but Sasuke kicked him out of the way, stunning the other guard into standing still. He barged on into the pagoda, his heart pounding.

Just as he'd envisioned, the priestess lay on her side, the candles burning to their end around her. Blood pooled around her small body, and some of her hair ornaments had fallen out of her hair when she'd dropped to the ground.

He scrambled to her, checking for a pulse. Indeed, she was still alive, but just barely.

"Wh-what happened?" One of the young priestesses came in, crying at the commotion.

"She needs medical help. She's going to die soon." Sasuke said, hoisting the priestess up on his shoulder.

One of the guards that Sasuke had recognized from the outer gate to the pagoda came running in, with a small white dog at his heels. He had a friend with him, a priest, who wore darkened glasses and had wild black hair.

"Hinata!" The man with the dog yelled. "What the hell are you doing to her?" He growled, holding out a mace. Sasuke almost laughed; when had a mace ever stopped him before?

"She paid the price for someone else. She needs a doctor. Just tell me where to find one; I guarantee you I can move faster than you can." Sasuke said, keenly aware of the labored breaths of the priestess.

The two men stared in shock. Finally, the priest with the dark glasses spoke.

"Take her to her cousin, Silent Snow. He lives on the mountain by the shrine at the lake. He'll be able to help." He said sorrowfully. "But there is no one here in Tea who can help."

Sasuke nodded, and like a flash of lightning, left the pagoda.

--

Snow turned Sakura by her shoulders to face him again. His hands lingered on her shoulders, admiring the smooth, pale skin there. His hands traveled downward, to the cloth wrapped around her chest. Below that, the thick, jagged white scar stood out. He ran his hands down over the chest wrappings to the scar, which he traced with his fingers in pure fascination. Sakura looked away.

"This is from some battle, I'm guessing." He said, letting his hands travel back to her face. He tilted her chin upward, pressing his lips to hers. Sakura hadn't been kissed by a man that she had wanted to kiss her since...well, since Sasuke. She had almost forgotten the delicious feeling.

"No." She whispered, her mouth moving against his. He pulled back, staring down at her.

"What is it, then?" He asked in confusion. She shook her head.

"Nothing important." She murmured, reaching up and pulling his face to hers. He complied, and forgot about the scar, instead moving his hands to the sash holding up her pants. As they kissed, his fingers worked at the double knot, patiently and slowly, with great care.

Finally, her pants dropped down to join her kimono around her ankles. She fisted her hands in his hair, closing her eyes tightly, as she felt his hands undoing the chest wrappings. His fingers slipped under each winding of fabric, until they were met with skin and the white cloth lay on the floor.

"I--" He was interrupted by a loud bang, and then, suddenly, Sakura's bare back was greeted with a rush of air. The fusuma had been roughly yanked open, and even without seeing, Sakura knew who it was. Only one person moved with such force and certainty.

Snow and Sakura broke apart hastily, and Sakura snatched up her kimono, wrapping it around her body without the obi tightly. Sasuke was, indeed, standing there, panting, holding a woman's unconscious body over his shoulder. Sweat ran down his temples, plastering his ebony hair to his face, which was ruddy with exertion.

"Are—Are you Silent Snow?" He panted. Snow nodded, his eyes widening. He clenched his fists in fury.

"What has happened to Hinata?" He demanded. Sasuke grimaced.

"I'll explain later. They told me you could help her. Do something!" He ordered, shoving the woman's body into Snow's arms. Snow grabbed her, and after a moment of hesitation, ran into the next room, where he kept his medicines.

Sakura and Sasuke stared at each other, wide eyed and in shock. Sasuke's eyes roamed over Sakura's appearance, taking in the mussed hair and missing clothing, and seeing how these items were gathered on the floor. And yet, to Sakura's confusion, he didn't seem all that surprised.

"Fox is going after the scroll." He said, wiping sweat from his brow. "The oracle paid the price for his questions for him, but it is not her time to die just yet." He explained further. Sakura nodded wordlessly, drawing her kimono closer around her body. She couldn't look at him; she was too ashamed. Half of her said that she shouldn't be; she was no longer his wife. And yet...

"Sakura..." he began, and she froze at the way he said her name. He said it the way he had said it before. "I have..." His gaze dropped to the left. "...I have many things to say." He finished, and then looked up again. "But right now, the priestess needs to be healed, and we need to find the others, and tell them where Fox is."

"How do you know where he is?" She asked. Sasuke waved his hand.

"I'll explain later. Just trust me on this. Tell Snow you'll be back later." He said. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because...I need your help." He grimaced as he said this. Admitting that he needed her help was more painful than the headaches he got. Sakura could see this as well. She let herself smile genuinely at him.

"Okay, Sasuke." She whispered.

--

Kabuto had followed Fan from the oracle's pagoda to this house in the mountains. He crouched in a tree, waiting for him to exit with Blossom. It was the perfect chance. He twisted a dagger in his fingers, grinning evilly. Finally, it was his turn.

--

"I apologize. But there are things that need to be dealt with." Sakura said apologetically to Snow, who was applying a salve to Hinata's wrists before he stitched them. He nodded, holding her gaze, desire swirling in his eyes.

She had dressed quickly, haphazardly sticking her hairpins in her hair and tying her obi loosely. She turned back to Sasuke, and they left the house.

Outside, it was late morning now.

"We need to tell the others first. Then we've got to get them to go with us to Sand. We'll be a bit later than Fox, but at least we might be able to help him when he confronts Snake." Sasuke shaded his eyes as he stared into the distance, at the hazy silhouette of the city.

"Just tell me first how you know all of this." She ordered, crossing her arms. Sasuke continued to stare into the distance.

"The priestess...showed me how to see." He said. "I shouldn't have left you. But it needed to happen."

Sakura nodded, staring at him, studying him. "The headaches, the nightmares...these were all part of visions. I just didn't know how to read them." He continued. "She also...told me about my past." Here, he turned to her. Sakura set her jaw, preparing herself for whatever he could possibly be about to say.

But he never said anything. The skin on the back of Sakura's neck prickled, and in a flash, she knew what to do.

"Duck!" Sakura yelled, throwing herself on top of Sasuke. A dagger, coated in a yellow poison, flew by, hitting a tree trunk instead. The bark surrounding the dagger withered almost immediately, and Sakura had to smile. That was a powerful poison, but only a tiny bit could be made at a time. Their assailant had probably used up most of their supply of it.

Sakura and Sasuke looked up to a tree, where a figure crouched.

"Not again." Sakura glared, yanking out a hairpin. Kabuto dropped from the tree, and both gasped at his appearance.

His left ear was missing. Greenish blue tainted his face near where the ear had been, and dried blood and puss caked the area where the ear should have been. He smelled foul...like rotting flesh.

"You're dying." Sakura said curtly, brandishing the poisonous needle. Kabuto gave a crazed smile.

"I have a few days left...I thought I'd stop by for one last visit." He aimed another dagger, and Sakura jumped out of the way, expecting him to hurl it at her.

But instead, it grazed Sasuke's side. Sakura gasped, but Sasuke merely caught it and smirked. He hurled it back at Kabuto, hitting him squarely in the leg. Kabuto grunted in pain. This had been the last of Kabuto's poisonous daggers, and now, the skin surrounding where Sasuke had been hit turned a dark red. Blood mixed with puss poured out of the wound, but Sasuke, ever stoic, ignored it as best he could.

"You're too slow." Sasuke said coldly, and leapt to Kabuto. Sakura realized that he didn't have his katana with him, and was therefore forced to fight hand-to-hand. Sakura felt panic rising in her body; Sasuke didn't have much time before the poison killed him now, and undoubtedly, he wasn't as good a fighter sans katana. She'd have to give this her all, if she wanted to save Sasuke from dying of the poison.

Sasuke spun around, crescent-kicking Kabuto in the stomach. Kabuto buckled, but reached out and punched Sasuke nonetheless. Sasuke caught the punch and twisted Kabuto's arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Kabuto stepped on Sasuke's foot, halting him, but Sasuke used the chance to aim a kick at Kabuto's leg where the poison was at work. Meanwhile, Sakura swooped in, showering Kabuto with a barrage of her poisonous hairpins. Kabuto sloppily threw some senbon at Sakura and Sasuke, slicing up Sasuke's skin but missing Sakura. The poison was already slowing Sasuke down, and even he was no longer able to hide the pain effectively.

Kabuto hadn't been expecting such good teamwork between the two, and he hadn't expected that Sasuke could fight so well without his katana. His eyes widened as his legs gave out from underneath him, and he felt his heart slowing down. The battle was over too quick; this was not the epic revenge he planned on. The only comfort he could take was that few people knew the antidote for the poison. Sasuke would most likely die.

Sakura delivered the coup de gras. She picked Kabuto up by the collar, and with needles placed between her knuckles like claws, punched Kabuto in the stomach. He let out a yelp of pain, blood spurting from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

She dropped his lifeless body on the ground disgustedly, and then whirled back to Sasuke. He was clutching a tree for support, his face twisted in pain. He had broken out in a cold sweat and was shaking.

"Come on, Snow will help you." She said, grabbing Sasuke and carrying him back into the house. Adrenaline coursed through her body; she couldn't lose Sasuke again. She refused to.

Snow was just finishing up Hinata's wrists when they came in. He looked up in shock, his silvery eyes taking in Sasuke's wounds. Blood and puss dribbled onto the floor where the team stood, and Sasuke lost consciousness, slumping forward. Sakura readjusted her hold on him, silent tears leaking out of her emerald eyes. Blood began to leak from Sasuke's nose and mouth.

"What--" Snow gasped.

"The Snake's right hand man just paid us a visit. He's been poisoned; you have to help." Sakura ordered, placing Sasuke's body on a mat nearby. Snow hurried to him, and examined his side, where the poison was leaking out. He took notice of the fact that her hands were shaking so much that he wouldn't have trusted her to hold anything, and she had become white as a sheet.

Snow looked at the effects of the poison and was able to identify it easily. It was not a well known poison but his cousin Hinata had told him of it and shown him how to make the antidote. "I have the antidote, this will not be difficult." Snow said, grabbing a cloth and a small basin of water.

Sasuke stopped bleeding from his nose and mouth momentarily; his face pale and shining with sweat. Sakura knelt beside him, and tenderly brushed his hair away from his face while Snow worked at the wound. Her tears dropped from her cheeks and onto his face; it felt so much like the last time. Horrible dread welled up inside of her. She thought of how he had looked when he'd barged in on her and Snow. He had looked like he'd had an epiphany, like he'd reached clarity. He had been so...focused. She had never seen him like that, and she realized that when he woke up and found her sitting here, crying, he would probably not respect her. No, he would want her to go and help Fox.

"I must go and continue." She said quietly. Snow looked up, shocked that she, who had just been sobbing, would want to leave.

"When will you be back?" He asked. Sakura smiled through her tears.

"Soon." She whispered, and fled the room. Snow bent his head over the wound and went back to work, his heart aching. While the two had been outside, Hinata had drifted back into consciousness momentarily.

"Cousin," she had whispered, coughing. "Fan gave her that ring... Blossom and Fan...you must not interfere..." She had immediately lapsed into unconsciousness again, and it had taken Snow a moment to understand what she meant.

He still had the ring on the chain around his neck. After he was finished cleaning the wound, injecting the antidote, and putting a healing salve on the other wounds, he took the ring from the chain. With trembling hands, he slipped the ring into the pocket of the man's pants. He got some paper, and wrote a note. He folded it, and slipped it into the pocket with the ring, and prayed that this man that Blossom so clearly loved would understand.

--

Kakashi had dreamt of Dolphin, and when he woke, the dreams were fresh on his mind, vivid and colorful, making his body weary, despite the many hours of sleep he had gotten. He needed to find him.

Sai, Temari, and Shikamaru were sleeping, but Naruto was missing. He must have gone to the oracle already. Kakashi knew he should have been mad, but he understood. Mainly because he too was going to leave unannounced.

They didn't need his help anyway, he figured, as he slipped out of the inn. And at any rate, Dolphin (or as he knew him, Iruka) was more important to him than any scroll. His dreams had brought him a certain clarity and understanding of his feelings that he hadn't had in years. It was time to act, and it was time to do so now.

He knew where Iruka lived. He worked as a teacher in a small school—he'd probably be there now. Kakashi ran through the streets, ducking and dodging, weaving his way to the man he loved.

--


	9. Chapter 9

Midnight

A/N: This chapter has a lot of thought in it, but I wanted to save the action for the next chapter, which will be the last one. I'm including the epilogue in it, so it's sort of like a double update, hehe. This chapter was difficult to write, but I got a lot out that I needed to say so that the last chapter will make more sense. I hope you guys like it, and PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews have been lagging lately and it makes me sad. If I'm not doing as good a job, TELL ME so I can fix what I'm doing wrong! When I don't communicate with my readers, I get too self conscious because I don't know what is good and what is bad. It's not to get more reviews; if you don't want me to get more reviews then just email me. But I really want to know how this story is going so that I can improve. I'm working on another story that I wanna write after I'm done this so I want to have improved a lot.

Anyways. I hope you guys like this chapter. Enjoy; one more to go!

Chapter Nine

Iruka was, by day, a simple schoolteacher. By night he was a special information gatherer, employed by both good men and bad. He had married a woman because he felt sorry for her. Her husband, a distant relative of the emperor Sarutobi of Leaf, had died at a young age, leaving her pregnant with nowhere to go. She was pretty enough, but Iruka found that he had little interest in women. The revelation shamed him and he had chosen to keep it to himself for these near-forty years.

Kurenai, his wife, had no inkling of his night job, and Iruka intended to keep it that way. She wanted a safe place for her child, with a safe, normal man. Iruka seemed that way. He had a modest house, was modestly handsome, had an average salary for his teaching job, and seemed friendly and kind enough.

She also had no inkling of what really went on in Iruka's mind. Sometimes, for hours, he could stare into the distance, out the window, just thinking. She thought he was thinking about how to be a better teacher. He was really thinking about a man. A legendary, infamous man. A man who was famed for his incredible fighting skills. A man that he loved, more than life itself.

But Kurenai was catching on. The lengthy letters he wrote, the messenger birds coming to and fro—these things seemed too suspicious. Iruka had been elated when Kakashi had written to him, asking if he knew anything about certain people. Just seeing his messy scrawl on the rice paper had made Iruka's eyes tear with happiness and his hands tremble.

Now he had to cut down on it. He had turned down several jobs, so that he could seem less suspicious to Kurenai and still keep up with Kakashi. Kakashi wasn't paying him, obviously, so the job was pointless, but it was the one thing Iruka had left in his life to keep him from putting stones in his pockets and walking into the lake in the valley.

This morning, Kurenai was out shopping for groceries at the street market with their child. School was out for a few days, and Iruka lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering how Kakashi was doing. Was he sleeping well? Was he warm? Did he have enough to eat? ...Did he still—no. Iruka would not go down that path. Thinking of the past, of what had been, was dangerous. Society forbid two men together. It was an absolute taboo.

He got out of bed, still trying to push his thoughts away from Kakashi, but it was impossible.

But then, suddenly, it was as though Kakashi had heard his thoughts and come calling. He almost thought he was hallucinating when Kakashi came in through his bedroom window, panting and sweating. His hair had gotten longer and there were new lines around his face, but otherwise, nothing had changed.

"Well. Some people use the door, but really, what are those things for, anyway?" Iruka said in a trembling voice, smiling a teary smile at Kakashi. Kakashi scoffed.

"Doors? Never heard of them. You busy?" He asked, leaning against the wall, settling back into his usual casual, relaxed manner. Iruka wiped away tears, cursing himself for being such a sap. Kakashi always made him look like the biggest fool.

"A little bit." Iruka said, laughing awkwardly. "Shouldn't you be out fighting Snake and all of that?" He queried. Kakashi shrugged.

"Eh, that'll have to wait. I remembered I had to visit someone." Kakashi said, stepping away from the wall and towards Iruka. He strode across the floor with purpose, making Iruka back up against the wall.

"You always did have difficulty getting your priorities straight." Iruka admitted, as Kakashi pressed one hand against the wall, directly next to Iruka's head. They weren't even touching and yet Iruka already felt like his personal space had been violated.

"Well I'm getting better at it, I think." Kakashi said, before covering Iruka's mouth with his own.

--

Kurenai set the satchel down on the floor, next to the fusuma at the front of the house. Her child ran outside to meet up with a friend, leaving Kurenai alone.

"Iruka? I'm home!" She called, but there was no response. She narrowed her eyes. Iruka had been sleeping late recently, and it was getting on her nerves. He was known for being a hard worker, and this change in habits was disturbing. Already it was noon and he still was not up and moving.

She climbed up to the second floor, growing increasingly irritated with each step. "Iruka!" She called, louder this time. Finally, she reached their room, and stood outside the fusuma, listening to see if he was still snoring.

Her eyes widened, and she pressed her fingers and ear to the screen, straining to hear. Soft whispers, the sound of kissing, the rustling of blankets...

...Another man's voice.

--

Snow could no longer see his house as his home anymore. He felt that it had been invaded, that he had been invaded, by Midnight Fan, whose visit seemed to Snow to be more about taking what was his. Namely, the thing that was his was Floating Blossom. All Snow had ever wanted in his life was two things: one, to be acknowledged as better than his cousin Hinata by the rest of his clan, and two, to marry the one woman that he had ever wanted, Floating Blossom. But now it seemed that being acknowledged as better than Hinata was meaningless, and marrying Floating Blossom was impossible.

He left Fan lying uncomfortably in the medicine room, burning jealousy and hatred clouding his mind. He left the house, because he couldn't take it anymore. The unfairness of his life stacked up around him, and he felt he had nowhere to turn. From before birth he had had every disadvantage thrown at him, but he had fought everything, because he thought that one day, he'd get at least one of the things that he wanted.

He wandered through the woods, running at top speed, letting his anger and pain fuel him. He ran away from his home, down the mountain, and far, far away from Tea eventually, until he didn't even know where he was anymore.

What he had wanted, which was Blossom, had ruined him and his life.

--

They didn't know where Kakashi was, but at least Sakura had found Shikamaru, Temari, and Sai.

"Those idiots." Temari grumbled. "I miss my fan!" She groaned. Sakura frowned, and glanced back towards the mountains. She couldn't help it, she wanted to know if Sasuke was alright.

"Before we leave...I want to make a quick stop. It's on the way anyway." She said, hoping to sound casual. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Why don't we look for Mirror, and you go do what you need to do? We'll meet back here in three hours, whether we can find the old man or not." He suggested. This was a good enough plan, so the three left, thinking between themselves about where Kakashi could have possibly gone. Sakura sighed, looking down and twisting her hands. She wasn't ready to face Snow or Sasuke, but she needed to get Sasuke with them, and she needed to apologize to Snow.

She dashed out of the city and began running with great velocity towards the mountains, and then up them. She jumped from treetop to treetop, her nervousness and anxiety giving her more energy. When she thought of what she almost did with Snow, she wanted to cringe. But what was worse was having Sasuke see her like that. She could remember before, when she and Sasuke would have been about to go to bed together. Remembering made a fluttering feeling in her stomach that rose up and caused her skin to be covered in goosebumps. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to rid herself of the chills. She could not be thinking of that at a time like this.

She finally found the house, but it seemed Snow was out, for when she knocked, there was no answer. She went in anyway, because it was important. Snow would understand completely.

Sasuke was lying on the same mat. His wounds looked much better already. Sakura smiled in spite of herself and knelt down next to him.

"Sasuke..." she murmured, gazing down at him. To her shock, his brow furrowed, and he reached up, slipping his fingers in her hair and pulling her closer, in a possessive manner.

"Sakura." He responded, and she realized he was still half asleep. The gesture was something he used to do, before. She watched as his midnight eyes opened, and he froze. They stared at each other, their breaths caught, before he snatched his hand away and back up, sitting up awkwardly and clumsily.

"Sorry." They both said, looking away.

"Kakashi disappeared. We don't know where he is, but Ink, Desert Flower, and Thunder Cloud are quickly looking for him. I came here to get you...do you feel well enough to go?"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead.

"Um...yes." He said dazedly. He looked down at the wound on his side, where the poison had been. "Let's get moving." He said finally. He stood on shaky legs, and Sakura instinctively reached out, giving him an arm to steady himself on. When he seemed to feel stronger, she still didn't pull away, and he still didn't let go. They stared at each other, until finally Sasuke let go of his tight grip on her arm.

"Whether we find Kakashi or not, we're still going to go. At least we have Cloud and Flower with us, which should make things easier. They're quite good, you know." Sakura chatted nervously as they left Snow's house and began running back to the city. Sasuke only had his black pants, leg wrappings, and arm wrappings, so he wasn't ready to fight. Sakura saw him frown.

"We need to stop at the oracle on the way. I left my katana there." He said, as though they had been on the same wave of thought. Sakura nodded and they continued to run back to the city, a tense silence between them.

--

Naruto wiped the sand and grit from his eyes, and squinted into the distance. The silhouette of the city in Sand lay before him. There he would find the Snake.

He wasn't ready, but then, he would never be. This was going to be the battle of a lifetime. This was his destiny. He had to get that scroll, or die trying. There was no other way.

The wind was going against him, so he would have to walk the rest of the way into the city. He set his jaw and clenched his fists, and broke into a run. Sand stung his eyes, but he made it there much faster than if he had walked. By the time he reached the city gates, he was dehydrated and exhausted.

There were two guards here, so he leapt up onto the wall, and ran along it until he found a good place to go inside the city. He wasn't sure where Snake even was in Sand, but at least he was here now.

--

"He's in Sand, trust me." Sasuke said to Temari, Shikamaru, and Sai. They hadn't found Kakashi yet, but they'd given up. There was no time left.

"I'm not sure how much I trust you." Shikamaru said pointedly, looking at Sasuke with a heavy gaze. Sasuke glared at him.

"And you've got a better idea of where he is? Let's go then!" He said sarcastically. Shikamaru didn't react; he continued to stare at Sasuke. Sai looked between the other two men, and rolled his eyes.

"I believe Fan. Let's just go to Sand." He sighed in resignation. Finally, everyone agreed. Temari had bought some new large fans, so they could travel faster. She and Shikamaru shared one, Sai got his own, and Sasuke and Sakura shared one. They jumped off the wall of the city and sat on the fans, and let them take them towards Sand.

Sai didn't even know how to act around Sakura. Every time their eyes met, he felt sick to his stomach. He had acted poorly, but he felt that she should have seen through his brash actions and understood that it was motivated by something benevolent. He had never intended to hurt her feelings, only to bring her closer to him. But now it appeared that she and Fan had reunited. Even if they didn't know it yet, it was easy for anyone to see that they would not be pulled apart. For Sakura's sake, he hoped Fan was able to work things out with her, but his hope for her happiness did little for the stinging pain in his heart. Would he ever be able to find another woman he was so taken by? He also wondered how many other men Sakura had left feeling like this, and whether she had ever felt this kind of pain. He almost resented her for it.

Meanwhile, Sasuke ached to say something to Sakura, anything. He'd felt a weight in his pocket when they were running to the city, and after he had retrieved his katana, reached in, finding a scrap of paper wrapped around a ring that he realized he had seen on Sakura's fingers before. The note had read, 'do it right this time. -snow' and Sasuke realized that Snow had released his hold on Sakura. Whatever had been stopping Sasuke from reconciling with Sakura before was removed from his path now, but he didn't know how to go about it. Confronting her felt wrong. Writing it felt wrong. But Hinata had made it clear that he had no right to try and simply force her back into his life. Even now, having acquired his sight, others still made sacrifices for his relationship with Sakura. Snow was right; he had another chance and he couldn't mess it up.

The pink ring must have been their wedding ring. He'd seen it before, in visions, and now that he had it, he felt the emotional weight of it. It was pretty enough, but to him, it represented the shadowy, dark, painful past of his marriage to her. It held so many secrets, things he could not ever remember. Hinata had given him sight as well as pieces of his memories, fragments that were only meaningful because he knew the background of them. Before, in visions, he had seen a man's face, a man that looked like an older, less handsome version of him. It was his brother, he now knew. He had seen children's faces that he now knew were his own.

It was not his destiny to defeat Snake or retrieve the scroll; that was Naruto's. The knowledge that he wouldn't get the glory that Naruto would stung, but he considered Hinata's words, and he began to understand. It was time for him to become the sort of man that Sakura would love. He had taken from her, and a simple marriage proposal and a cheap ring weren't enough to negate that. He had to give her something greater; he had to turn his life around.

He hadn't realized he wanted to marry her again, but now that the thought was in his mind, he looked to his left and saw her there, squinting into the sun as they rode the wind towards Sand. In the time that the mission to retrieve the Jade scroll had taken, he had fallen in love with her, again. Not for her captivating features, or her cunning intellect, or even her skill in kung fu. But for those moments when she had watched over him, even after all he had done to her. For the way she had responded to Kabuto, each time. She was made of something strong, an unbreakable will. She was stronger than him, and always would be. For that, he loved and admired her. He wanted to be like her.

"We're almost there. You guys ready to kick some serpentine ass?" Shikamaru called from ahead. Sakura and Sai agreed wholeheartedly, but Sasuke merely let himself smile. Naruto would defeat Snake, and get the Jade scroll. He would destroy the scroll, and never look inside, because that was the sort of person that he was. Sasuke had seen this, and more, in visions. He had tried to see his future with Sakura, but he knew that his visions were merely fabrications of his wishes and fears. He would have to wait and see what his future with her would bring.

--


	10. Chapter 10

Midnight

A/N: Well I already had this written so I figured I'd just post it. This is the end, guys! Thanks to all of my reviewers :D i hope you guys like this chapter. This is my second longest story, ever. How strange! I'm glad I went with the flow of inspiration and kept writing in such a short amount of time. I might write a oneshot for it after this, like a couple of peeks into the lives of the warriors. Maybe. Who knows! Anyways, enjoy.

Chapter 10 plus Epilogue

Naruto dropped into the crevice, landing perfectly in the dark, rocky area. This was Snake's hideout, he was sure of it. At least now he didn't have Kabuto to help him; he would be much easier that way.

It was nearly pitch black and as he moved, he heard the screeching of bats. His skin prickled in anxiety, but he forged on, ignoring his own fear. This, he reminded himself, was his destiny.

He traversed the cavern, creeping along and keeping himself ready to react to the slightest noise, the slightest movement. His muscles tense, he moved on.

"Ninetailed Fox...I was expecting to see you here with your little friends." A smooth, cold, evil voice echoed throughout the cave. Naruto froze, looking around for the source of the voice. At the end of one tunnel was a small light, like that of a candle. It flickered as bats flew about. Naruto began hurtling towards the light.

"No, I thought you might want some alone time." Naruto joked, trying to keep his humor at a high level. He couldn't let his fear show. He had to be brave.

"Excellent; I need help opening this scroll. I'm sure you know how?"

"I might have some inkling of how." Naruto said lightly, continuing to move towards the cave.

The man, Snake, was just as Sarutobi had drawn him. Pale, thin, and gaunt, with hollow, miserable eyes. Before Snake could even say another word, Naruto attacked.

"You dirty bastard, you've done enough damage to this world!" He yelled, preparing himself for battle.

He leapt to where Snake sat, which was on a settlement of rock that almost looked like a throne. He shot up once he saw Naruto coming at him, and Naruto missed, running into the rock. He grunted in pain but didn't recoil; he ran back at Snake again. He had a lot of rage towards this man; he had killed Sarutobi, who Naruto had greatly admired. He had also ruined the lives of the two last Uchiha, as well as the woman that Naruto had loved for so long. Naruto wasn't going to let him off easy for any of that.

He twisted in midair, letting both of his legs kick Snake in the side. Snake caught the second leg and hit it with his own kick, but Naruto was prepared. He kicked Snake's other foot out from underneath him. But Snake pulled Naruto down, and flipped him across the room into a solid wall of rock. Cracks and fissures formed around Naruto as he winced in pain. He pulled himself from the rubble and dropped into a fighting stance, considering what his next move would be. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the jade scroll, which almost seemed to glow in the dark cave. He didn't dare show he had spotted it, however. Instead, he flexed his hands, and ran at top speed towards the enemy, clawing and scratching. Blood spurted everywhere as Snake cried out in pain, but he hit Naruto's hands, breaking some of the fingers. This was bad—Naruto carried no weapons. He'd have to use kicks for the rest of the fight.

Naruto kicked off the wall and flipped backwards, landing on Snake's shoulders. He wrapped his legs around his neck, managing to both cover his eyes as well as cut off his breathing. Snake choked and attempted to pull at Naruto's legs, but he wasn't letting him get away.

Finally, he released him by ignoring his pain and doing a brief handstand. This pulled Snake into the air and threw him against the wall. Naruto hadn't intended for it to work out this way, but Snake landed on a stalactatite that pierced through his stomach.

Naruto stared in shock as Snake's eyes rolled into the back of his head. His hands trembling, he turned to the Jade scroll, and picked it up, holding it in his hands: this was the key to the destruction of the world.

But he didn't even want to know the secret. No one should know, he decided. It was just too dangerous information. He wanted to rid the world of both Snake as well as his ideals, and that meant putting an end to all means of mass destruction.

There would be other ways devised to take over the world, but Naruto decided then and there that they wouldn't be put to use while he was still alive and kicking. He would do everything, everything possible in his power, to see to it.

He clenched the scroll in his fist, trying to ignore the pain that his hands felt. His fingers were broken, but he could rest and heal later. The scroll had to be destroyed _now._

He heard the sound of frantic footsteps somewhere in the cave just then. Clutching the scroll in his bleeding hands, he turned, to see Poison Ink, Floating Blossom, Midnight Fan, Desert Flower, and Thunder Cloud, all running towards him.

He stared at them, and watched as they scrambled into the cave, getting ready to fight. All except for Sasuke. He stopped, and walked to Naruto, as everyone else gasped and fussed over Snake's cold, dead body.

"I knew." Sasuke confessed. He looked to the scroll, and spoke in a low voice. "The only way to destroy it is to take it to the blue flames at the oracle in Tea. She will be happy to see you again so soon." He smiled, just a bit. Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, but the real shock came with the next thing Sasuke said. "Good job."

Naruto dropped the scroll and embraced his old friend tightly; he had missed the bond of respect that they had shared, before everything had gone wrong. Sasuke gave a more subdued embrace, and they let go, turning to the group.

"It's over." Sakura whispered, trembling. Naruto nodded.

"We did it." He said, smiling as tears of happiness welled in his eyes. Shikamaru shook his head.

"No, _you_ did it, Fox." He said proudly. Naruto grinned even wider.

"Don't argue with me, Cloud." He warned jokingly.

They left the cave, and before they left Sand, together they put an enormous boulder over top of the crevice. Snake would be sealed in there, forever entombed by his own throneroom.

-- EPILOGUE --

--Five Years Later--

"No, you have to do it this way, Naruto-kun." The empress, former oracle of Tea, known by her friends as Hinata, lightly scolded her husband, guiding his hands as she showed him how to plant orchids in her private garden. Naruto growled in frustration.

"I think I'll leave the hard stuff to you, Hina-chan. I'm going to go yell at Neji and Shikamaru about those messages from Mist—you know about htat, right? Those morons didn't tell me that the emperor of Mist was pissed off at me!" Naruto said, grinning as he stood, brushing dirt from his robes. Hinata smiled.

"You weren't exactly the most polite at that ceremony of theirs." She said lightly, wiping dirt from her forehead. Naruto's handsome, tan face twisted into a grimace.

"How was I supposed to know you're not allowed to pick up food with your hands there? Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous..." He muttered, walking back inside and picking up one of his daughters when he saw her. She shrieked with laughter as he lifted her up, high above his head, and began running down the enormous hall at top speed, stopping short and twirling. It wasn't normal emperor behavior, but then, Naruto wasn't a normal emperor.

Konohamaru, having seen the honorable way Naruto had handled the Jade scroll debacle, stepped down from the throne, his last order as emperor being that Naruto begin a new dynasty. Naruto had obliged, and under his fair, but tough rule, the country began quickly to return to its former prosperous self. After going to Tea to have the scroll destroyed, he spent a lot of time at Tea, using his interest in tea leaf readings as an excuse to see the oracle there more often. Within a few months' time, the oracle finally found the courage to tell the new emperor of her feelings, and it turned out that he had felt the same way all along. Their marriage was a beautiful ceremony that everyone attended.

Shikamaru had married Temari some time after Naruto appointed him as one of his advisors. Snow, better known as Neji, found Sakura in Leaf, and decided to ignore Hinata's words for a while, and let himself have something that he had truly wanted. When Sakura introduced him to Naruto, the blond saw almost immediately that Neji was a man of great intelligence. He appointed Neji as his other advisor. Together, Neji and Shikamaru were a formidable team. They advised the general, Uchiha Sasuke, in matters of war, and thus Leaf was the most powerful country in the world. Sasuke was a strong warrior and an excellent leader, and backed up by Shikamaru and Neji's strategies, he and his armies were unstoppable.

Sai joined the priesthood in Tea, in Sasuke's stead. Sasuke had intended on joining there, but Naruto had insisted that he was a man of action, and even Hinata agreed. Instead, Sai went, saying that he was tired of battle, but a few select people knew that it was really to escape Sakura. However, he excelled there, and soon forgot of his old passion. He met a woman and married.

Kakashi and Iruka lived together outside of Leaf. Kurenai had never remarried, but her child was old enough to no longer need the guidance of a live-in father. No one ever heard of either man ever again, and that was the way they had wanted it.

Sakura continued to train and learn new styles of kung fu. None of the warriors had accepted Sarutobi's original gift, a scroll containing kung fu secrets—because Sakura wanted to develop her own skills, and not simply copy those of the past. Eventually, she and Neji separated. He felt too guilty, going against Hinata's words, and their relationship no longer seemed to hold much meaning. Occasionally, she stopped by the palace, but most of the time she spent in a secret training area, as she and Temari taught other women the art of kung fu.

It had taken five years, but Sasuke finally felt his mind was clear enough and he was as best prepared as he ever could be. At thirty years old, it had been seven years since the accident, and he felt that he was as changed as he could be. He had become the man he had intended, and now, it was time for him to do what he had been waiting to do for five years.

He shed his armor, his medals—he would not boast to Sakura of his victories. These were meaningless, to both of them. He clothed himself in black pants and a black shirt, with white leg and arm wrappings. He washed his face, and stepped out. He steeled his will, reminding himself what he had reminded himself before every battle, for five years, which was that he had to be like Sakura. He had to be strong, unbending, unbreakable. He had to be quick like fire, but subtle like water; forceful like wind, but most of all, unchanging, like stone. He would tell Sakura of his feelings, and offer himself and everything he had to her.

After the jade scroll was destroyed, he had sought out the gravesite of his children and brother. It had been in the garden next to the house he and Sakura had lived in, before. There, in the soil that still held charred bits of wood and remnants of their belongings, he buried the ring with the pink quartz stone. Old things, he felt, could never be given new meaning. The ring was tainted, and meant pain and misery and suffering. He would never give her jewelry again, he decided, because it seemed absurd. What, after all she had been through, could a silly engagement ring mean?

So he went to her house, empty handed and without any of his decoration. He went to her just as he was, because that was all that he could give, and nothing more. There would be no pretense, no falsities or facades.

Her house was a small complex of rooms divided by delicate fusuma, surrounding a courtyard which she trained in sometimes. Flowers were everywhere, making the house seem like her: colorful, alive, perfect.

He rang the chimes she kept outside the front door, and then knocked. He set his jaw, and clenched his fists.

The fusuma slid open hastily; she was most likely expecting it to be one of her students pestering her. She was shining with sweat, she must have been training. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, and would not stay in the many pins she had arranged within it. She wore a loose, short yukata, and the hem flapped around her bare legs. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled, but when she saw who stood outside, waiting for her, she dropped the two daggers she held.

The wind blew the chimes a bit as they stood there, regarding each other. Sakura regarded him with a wary expression, her eyes nervous and questioning, while Sasuke looked on, hopeful but certainly not expectant.

He turned his palms up, showing nothing but his calloused hands. He pressed his lips together before speaking.

"I...was wondering if you would mind if I dropped by for a bit." He said, his voice catching on each syllable. He held his breath, waiting for her response. He knew that she would know what he meant, and her response to this would be loaded. It would mean everything.

And then, she did the least expected thing. He had guessed so many situations, imagined every possible scenario, but never this. She smiled, a true, honest smile, for that was what true love was, to forgive, because she couldn't possibly do anything else. She bent down, picked up what she had dropped, and opened the fusuma wider.

"Frankly, I was wondering when you'd get here."

--


End file.
